Charlton Athletic and Preston North End in ambitious transfer race for Chelsea's David Datro Fofana | OneFootball

Preston North End and Charlton Athletic have enquired about taking Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana on loan.

Championship duo Preston North End and Charlton Athletic are both hoping to land Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana on loan before the 7pm transfer deadline.

The forgotten Chelsea forward spent last season on loan in Turkey with Göztepe, but failed to make much of an impact during his temporary spell at the club, with just two goals in nine Super Liga outings.

Now, the 22-year-old has returned to the World Champions, but isn't a part of Enzo Maresca's long-term plans, meaning that another exit on loan is likely to be the case for him.

And that opportunity could come in the Championship, according to Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, who reported on Monday morning that both Preston and Charlton have enquired about the possibility of taking Fofana on loan.

It now seems like a race against time for either one of the two clubs to get a deal over the line, but with permanent interest reported from elsewhere, it's down to Chelsea as to what type of deal they sanction.

Preston North End and Charlton Athletic submit loan enquiries for Chelsea's David Datro Fofana

It's fair to say that Fofana has become somewhat of a forgotten man at Stamford Bridge since his arrival in 2023, with plenty of players coming through the doors at the club, making it hard to keep up with who is actually still at the club.

However, the 22-year-old could be set for a fourth loan spell away from West London in two years, as he isn't part of manager Maresca's immediate or long-term plans for his Chelsea side.

This has seen reports from O'Rourke emerge on Monday morning that Championship duo Preston and Charlton have made enquiries to take Fofana on loan, with the transfer deadline fast approaching.

North End and the Addicks will face competition though, as it was also reported by O'Rourke via Football Insider that the Ivorian striker is the subject of permanent interest from two unnamed Championship sides, and European clubs as well.

Fofana, despite struggling in recent times, could represent an ambitious swoop for Preston and Charlton, who both share more modest ambitions of stabilising in the Championship this term.

The two-cap Ivory Coast international emerged as a real star with Norweigan side Molde by scoring 15 goals from just 24 Eliteserien outings in 2022 to earn his move to Chelsea, and struck on four occasions while on loan at Burnley in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

Chelsea decision key in who wins the race to sign David Datro Fofana

Fortunately for Fofana, he isn't short of interest when it comes to securing a last-minute move away from the Club World Cup winners, but it remains the club's call as to what type of deal they sanction for his exit, if any.

The Blues are set to recall Marc Guiu from his loan spell at Sunderland early due to an injury to new striker Liam Delap, and they may want to keep Fofana around for the first-half of the season, amid concerns about their depth up front.

However, with permanent interest also reported, Chelsea could be tempted to cut their losses and allow the Ivorian to move elsewhere on a permanent deal, or hold out hope that he performs on loan, which could make them a little bit of extra cash next summer.

All-in-all, the Premier League side holds the key to what happens with Fofana this summer, and whether Preston or Charlton have any chance of securing his services on loan.