Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign striker David Datro Fofana from Norwegian side Molde.
The Ivory Coast international, who celebrated his 20th birthday last week, will officially join the Blues on New Year’s Day.
Fofana has scored four goals across 10 appearances in all competitions so far this season for one of Erling Haaland’s former clubs.
Fofana, who has reportedly signed a long-term deal at Stamford Bridge, was integral to Molde securing the title last season. He finished 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 Albanian striker Armando Broja will miss the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
A statement from the Norwegian club said that 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.”
However, there was more bad news for Chelsea full-back Reece James, who is set to miss up to a month after suffering a setback to the knee injury that kept him out of the World Cup.
He underwent an assessment on Wednesday after being forced off in the second half of Tuesday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth.
A scan confirmed the 23-year-old England international faces another spell on the sidelines.
It is a devastating blow for the defender, who had just returned to action after initially recovering from the injury sustained in October during a Champions League clash with AC Milan.
James, who lasted almost an hour before he felt discomfort and left the stadium wearing a knee brace, personally addressed the issue on social media.
He tweeted: “2022 has been the toughest year to date.
“Just wanna thank you all for the support, none of you go unnoticed.”
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