Ornstein and L’Equipe claim Chelsea have 17 G/A left wing target chased by Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Chelsea’s desire to buy a winger this summer is pretty clear – if you couldn’t tell just from the rumours that were popping up linking us to numerous players in that position, you certainly know now that Enzo Maresca has spoken about it openly in his press conference this morning.

The Blues have allowed Jadon Sancho to return to Manchester United and know that Mykhailo Mudryk isn’t coming back anytime soon. They’ve also seen their first major target of the summer in that position, Jamie Gittens, priced beyond what they’re willing to pay.

Chelsea add Belgian international Fofana to their list

Malick Fofana playing for Lyon. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

That means moving down the list a little, and next up we seem to have Malick Fofana.

This afternoon reports from the likes of David Ornstein are coming in saying we’ve made a “verbal offer” for the 20 year old.

L’Equipe had the story first, saying that the Blues are just the latest Premier League side to have registered an interest, following the likes of Nottingham Forest who have already approached the Belgian’s camp.

Fofana has become a key player for Lyon in the last 18 months since signing from Ghent for €19.5m, racking up 9 goal contributions in the league this season. In all competitions he managed 11 goals and 6 assists for the French side last season.

Fofana joins Gittens and Garnacho on Chelsea’s shortlist

Like Gittens he is not the finished product by any means – he’s still pretty raw – but has huge talent.

Ornstein’s piece for the Athletic said he’s “among a number of options being considered” and that “conversations are ongoing.”

We don’t expect the Gittens story to be over – that will be resumed in earnest once the Club World Cup is over. But it seems that Fofana and Alejandro Garnacho are now very much in the frame as alternatives should Dortmund keep their prices high.