Wesley Fofana arrival excites Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers believes signing Wesley Fofana signals Leicester ambition this season.

The defender has penned a five-year deal and joins for an initial £32million from St Etienne ahead of Monday’s transfer deadline.

It ended the Foxes’ interest in Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski after they had a bid worth more than £30million rejected last month.

Fofana, 19, joins Cengiz Under and Timothy Castagne as new signings at the King Power Stadium, leaving manager Rodgers delighted with the club’s business.

He said: “It’s a brilliant signing for us. We said at the start of the window we wanted quality. As we draw towards the end the three players we have signed are that.

“A lot of great work, hard work and persistence has gone in to getting these players.

“When you see him (Fofana) play he looks like he’s played for a lot longer. He’s very aggressive in his defending, he is super quick and he is good in the air.

“He’s got a good leap and you need to have that when you play in this country. We’re excited about developing his talent.

“Quality was going to be important, not necessarily the numbers. The signings will definitely improve it.”

Leicester were also drawn against Braga, AEK Athens and Ukrainian side Zorya Luhansk in Group G of the Europa League on Friday with Rodgers eager to get started.

He added: “We watched the draw and it’s another step for us. We can’t wait to get started on that and it’s nice for all of us to watch it. A lot of the senior players were watching it with the staff.”

The Foxes host West Ham on Sunday with Fofana waiting for international clearance to play.

Jonny Evans has shrugged off a tight calf while Jamie Vardy is fit after his hip problem settled down and Roma loanee Under is available to make his debut but Dennis Praet (knee) is struggling.

Rodgers also confirmed Adrien Silva is likely to move to Sampdoria.

The midfielder has made just 21 appearances since moving from Sporting Lisbon in 2017 – initially missing the transfer deadline by 14 seconds and being forced to wait months to complete the move.

Rodgers added: “He understands his position at the club, he has trained and worked hard and hopefully he can get that move.”