Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana set for late move - Leicester City, Middlesbrough & Swansea City should submit offers | OneFootball

Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana is being eyed up by four Championship clubs

Chelsea forward David Datro Fofana has been linked with a move to the Championship ahead of Monday's transfer deadline.

According to journalist Pete O'Rourke via X, four second-tier clubs are eyeing up a loan deal for the 22-year-old striker, who joined the Premier League side in 2023.

The forward has failed to leave a lasting impact at Stamford Bridge and has spent most of his time contracted to the club away on temporary transfers with the likes of Union Berlin, Burnley and Göztepe.

With the transfer window slamming shut on Monday, September 1, time is of the essence and it is critical for club’s up and down the EFL to get any final pieces of business completed by then.

Football League World have identified THREE second-tier outfits that should be considering a late loan move for Fofana.

Leicester City

On paper, the 2025/26 Championship campaign has opened in decent fashion for the Foxes, recording victories over Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic and most recently Birmingham City.

However, their centre-forward options have looked uninspiring to say the least and don’t match the options that fellow promotion candidates Ipswich Town and Southampton possess.

Jordan Ayew and Patson Daka are both yet to net for the Foxes, with reliance put upon creative outlets such as Abdul Fatawu and Jeremy Monga to score goals.

Therefore, a move for Fofana should be seriously considered.

A combination of pace and power is what the forward’s game is all about, attributes that can be devastating for Championship defences to deal with.

He could combine with the likes of Fatawu and Stephy Mavididi to spearhead an exciting attack for the Foxes and offer Marti Cifuentes a different option to experiment with over the course of 46 games.

The nature of the deal also suits Leicester City, with a loan deal not too taxing on their already strict financial barriers.

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough have enjoyed a perfect start to the 2025/26 Championship campaign, picking up 12 points from their first four games to emerge as early contenders for a shot at automatic promotion.

However, the exit of Finn Azaz opens up the door for another attacking mind and Fofana could be the profile needed to add even more threat to Rob Edwards’ frontline.

Tommy Conway has assumed the traditional number nine role during the early stages of the season, and whilst Senegalese striker Kaly Sène has arrived from Lausanne in Switzerland, you get the feeling that Edwards is going to need another central striker for competition too.

That is where Fofana fits in - he has Premier League experience compared to the unproven Sène, and he could really make a difference on Teesside, even though Boro are currently flying after winning all of their league matches so far.

Swansea City

Swansea City have been in the market for a striker during the final stages of the transfer window, with strong links to Celtic striker Adam Idah.

It’s reported by Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph that the two clubs have agreed a fee of £7 million and that Idah has even completed a medical with the Swans.

However, Celtic aren’t willing to commission a sale until they have a replacement prepared.

With transfer deadline day approaching rapidly, Swansea will be desperate not to miss out on a new striker entirely and may look to capitalise on Fofana’s situation.

Signing the Chelsea forward on loan would save the Swans a great deal of money and still provide them with a quality forward, who could combine with the likes of Ji-Sung Eom and Ronald Pereira to maximise the Welsh outfit’s offensive output.

Although not Swansea’s first choice, Fofana could be an opportunistic deal the club could look to take advantage of before the window slams shut.