Chelsea have confirmed the departure of striker David Datro Fofana to Turkish side Goztepe SK on loan for the remainder of the season.
The 21-year-old was one of a plethora of players to have been demoted to Enzo Maresca's 'bomb squad' after it was decided that he was not in the manager's plans moving forward.
Datro Fofana failed to secure a switch to another English club before the August 30 deadline, but Premier League teams were still able to sell players to other divisions where the transfer windows remained open for longer.
Earlier this week, the former Molde starlet looked set to join AEK Athens in a loan deal with an option to make his stay permanent for Β£20m, which would have made him the Greek club's most expensive signing of all time.
However, negotiations ultimately collapsed while the two clubs were exchanging documents, leaving Chelsea and Datro Fofana's entourage scrambling to find an alternative solution in the short time that remained.
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Goztepe confirm option to buy Fofana from Chelsea
While the Greek window closed on Thursday, Turkish Super Lig clubs were still able to bring in new faces on Friday, and an agreement was quickly struck for Datro Fofana to join Goztepe on loan.
The Turkish side announced the signing of the Ivory Coast international on Friday evening and also confirmed that they have the option to sign him on a permanent basis at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
"An agreement has been reached with professional football player David Datro Fofana and Chelsea Football Club Limited for a season-long deal with an option to buy," Goztepe said in a statement. "We extend a warm welcome to David Datro Fofana and wish him the best of luck in his journey with our glorious club."
Should Goztepe activate their option to sign Datro Fofana permanently next year for an unspecified amount, the striker will leave Chelsea having only made four appearances for the Blues' senior team since his Β£10.4m arrival in January 2023.
The 21-year-old has also been loaned out to Union Berlin and Burnley while on the books at Chelsea but failed to set the world alight with either team, only scoring six goals across those two spells.
Β© Imago
Chelsea handed Datro Fofana a six-and-a-half year deal upon his arrival from Molde midway through the 2022-23 season, meaning that he is still contracted to the club for another five seasons.
Datro Fofana leaves, but Ben Chilwell handed lifeline
While Datro Fofana managed to secure a last-minute exit and avoid a few months in West London exile, the same cannot be said of Ben Chilwell, who was also brutally cut from Maresca's ranks this summer.
However, the left-back has been handed an unexpected lifeline in recent hours, as he was named in Chelsea's Premier League squad for the current campaign and is reportedly allowed to train with the main squad when Maresca is short of options.
The Chelsea boss told the press on Friday that there could still be a way back for Chilwell in West London, after the Blues apparently offered him to four Turkish clubs but did not hear back from a single one.
Chelsea are back in Premier League action away to Bournemouth on Saturday night, where Jadon Sancho could make his Blues debut after his deadline-day loan move from Manchester United.
Ben Knapton
