Chelsea are exploring deals for Wesley Fofana and Josko Gvardiol in what remains of the current transfer window, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The highly-rated youngsters are being lined up as replacements for Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who have departed for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.

What is the latest news involving Chelsea?

Romano has been at the forefront of Chelsea’s pursuit of both Fofana and Gvardiol and provided a recent update on his YouTube channel.

“Gvardiol is one of the top names on (Chelsea’s) list; Thomas Tuchel is in love with this player,” revealed the transfer expert.

“Let me say that he’s option number one in the list, but as of today, the situation on Leipzig’s side is still the same. They have no intention at all to sell Gvardiol this summer. For Fofana, it’s difficult, but you can negotiate.”

Romano then revealed on Twitter that Chelsea have offered striker Timo Werner on loan to RB Leipzig as a makeweight in a potential deal for their Croatia international, while Fofana remains a ‘top target’.

It seems as though prising either player away from their current clubs will be extremely difficult for the west London outfit, and it remains to be seen if they are attainable targets.

What has Romano said about Fofana and Gvardiol?

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Romano revealed that Leicester City are demanding around £85 million for Fofana, while Leipzig have ‘no intention’ of sanctioning Gvardiol’s sale, who is said to be valued at £67m.

He said: “Leicester want more than £80-85 million for Fofana, Leipzig have no intention to sell Gvardiol, so they would need a crazy bid to say yes to selling him this summer.

“So, this is why these are two not so easy names, but they are the two players that Chelsea are trying to sign. Let's see because it's absolutely not easy. Leicester and Leipzig are two difficult and tough clubs to negotiate with, so it's not going to be easy for Chelsea.”

Why are Fofana and Gvardiol so expensive?

Fofana may only be valued at £25m by CIES but Leicester are likely to demand far more than that due to his talent, potential, and the fact his contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2027.

The France Under-21 international was hampered by injury last term but helped the Foxes claim a maiden FA Cup crown in 2020/21 while also finishing in fifth place in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Gvardiol racked up five goal contributions in 44 appearances across all competitions for Leipzig last term, steering them to a first DFB-Pokal success and a top-four finish, leading to him being labelled "dominant".

Gvardiol, who is valued at £100m by CIES, still has four years left to run on his existing deal, meaning it would take an extraordinary offer to bring him to Chelsea.