Premier League

Chelsea ‘reach pre-agreement’ to sign €12m striker; extent of Reece James’ injury revealed

Chelsea sign Fofana

Chelsea have confirmed that they have ‘reached a pre-agreement’ to sign David Datro Fofana from Molde and the fee for him is believed to be €12m.

The Ivory Coast international will officially join Chelsea on New Years’ Day.

The 20-year-old has scored four goals in ten outings for Molde this season and he is one for the future.

A Chelsea statement read: “Chelsea FC has reached a pre-agreement with Molde FK for the transfer of David Datro Fofana.

“The 20-year-old striker will join the Blues on January 1 2023. We look forward to welcoming David to the club.”

Fofana, who has reportedly signed a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge, was integral to Molde securing the Eliteserien title last season, finishing with 15 goals and five assists in that competition and 21 across all tournaments.

He will offer Chelsea a fresh attacking option following the news that Armando Broja will miss the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

A statement from the Norwegian top-flight club revealed Fofana was looking forward to following in the footsteps of his Chelsea idol.

It read: “The Ivorian forward has wreaked havoc, both in Norway and on the international stage! Now David Datro Fofana is ready for a new adventure in England and the Premier League.

“Fofana has previously revealed that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, and that the Premier League was his big dream. Now the dream is coming true for the youngster.”

Fabrizio Romano is reporting that the fee for Fofana is €12m. 

Meanwhile, Chelsea defender Reece James is set to be out of action for a month after suffering a setback to the knee injury that ruled him out of the World Cup.

The 23-year-old England international underwent an assessment on Wednesday after he was forced off in the second half of the Blues’ 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday. Scan results later confirmed that he faces another spell on the sidelines.

James sustained his initial knee problem in October during a Champions League clash with AC Milan, and as a result, was not available for selection to Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

The defender had earlier addressed the setback on social media, telling his Twitter followers “2022 has been the toughest year to date.

“Just wanna thank you all for the support, none of you go unnoticed.

“It’s naturally affected me mentally, I’m currently just tryna deal with the cards I’ve been dealt. I hope your end of…

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