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Chelsea have reached an agreement with Turkish outfit Goztepe FK for the transfer of striker David Datro Fofana on a temporary basis, as per reports. The Blues remain active in the transfer market for outgoings as they aim to further trim down their large squad.
Ivorian striker Fofana has been at Stamford Bridge for around 18 months, having arrived from Molde in January 2023 for around £10 million. The 21-year-old made just three appearances before he was sent out on loan to Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin and then Burnley.
Greek side AEK Athens came close to signing Fofana but ultimately failed, and Fabrizio Romano has now reported that Goztepe FK have an agreement in place. Chelsea will send the Ivory Coast international to the Turkish club on loan with an option to buy and will include a recall clause for January. The Blues will have the option to terminate the loan if they see a need to and ask the player to return in January 2025.
Fofana had no chance of staking a claim for a place in the Chelsea squad this season, having been left out of the pre-season squad by Enzo Maresca. The striker had enjoyed a decent spell on loan at Burnley in the second half of the 2023-24 season. He scored four goals and assisted one more in 15 league appearances.
The striker will be keen to impress in Turkiye and potentially earn a permanent move to Goztepe or elsewhere next summer.
Chelsea 'bomb squad' summer clear out: Good or bad business
Chelsea have been busy in the summer transfer market, with players moving both ways as the club aims to build on last season's sixth-place finish. New coach Enzo Maresca quickly chose the players he wished to work with and made it clear to the others that they needed to find new clubs.
The infamous 'bomb squad' (via Metro) included obvious names like Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga. The likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Armando Broja, Raheem Sterling, and Ben Chilwell are also on the list. These players were asked to train separately from the main group as they were not in the manager's plans for the new season.
From the group, only Lukaku managed to make a permanent move away from the club, joining Serie A outfit Napoli. The rest of the players, bar Chilwell, have moved on temporary bases to other sides. Kepa joined Bournemouth on loan, while Chalobah, Broja, and Sterling moved to Crystal Palace, Everton, and Arsenal respectively.
These loan moves may be counterproductive as the club may struggle to find permanent suitors for these players, as they did with Lukaku for years. Next summer will be another time for players to try and leave Stamford Bridge en masse, as the 'bomb squad' is sure to get new members.
