Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana is set to join AEK Athens on loan with a €20m option to buy, according to Kieran Gill of the Daily Mail.
The striker has been training with the outcast group all summer, and various moves to other destinations fell through over the course of the summer. Now the Greek transfer window is the only remaining European option, and Chelsea have managed to agree a deal to get Fofana over there just in time.
He should score a hatful of goals – the standard isn’t amazing over there, and Fofana is physically great, with an eye for goal. He should really bully defenders and could potentially be one of the star players in the league.
AEK won’t be playing in Europe this season however – because they lost in their Conference League qualifier to Noah, who are in Chelsea’s group.
A very hopeful clause
So all’s well that ends well, right? Chelsea get a player they don’t want off their books, and could even double their money on him if AEK take up that option come the end of the season.
There’s one problem – there’s no way they will. If Fofana does really well, they might well try to make that loan permanent – but €20m is a preposterous suggestion, unless he ends up scoring 40 goals or something. The Greek top flight transfer record is Zlatko Zahovic for €13.5m, and that was in 1999. The biggest transfer this summer was €7.25m.
So while Chelsea could yet end up making a profit on the €10m they paid Molde for Fofana, it’s not going to be a €20m sale. A strong season there could lead to further interest from other parts of Europe, and could yet end up helping the Blues make a profit next summer from a different team and a different league entirely.