Leicester are put in an impossible position by Chelsea's very public pursuit of Wesley Fofana

Leicester continue to hijack attempts to exploit Wesley Fofana, but why are there rules in place about this when they are so routinely ignored?

The crumb of consolation for the Leicester City supporters was that at least they got through. After 90 minutes and a penalty shootout, the Foxes finally qualified for the next round of the Carabao Cup at Stockport County thanks to the performance of goalkeeper Daniel Iversen, who saved three of Stockport's penalty kicks on his debut , which came after six years with the club.

After a weak start to the season in the league - Stockport's game was the fourth Leicester have gone without a win in 90 minutes - Brendan Rodgers has made ten changes to the squad, and for fans looking for hints on how next week or so can play for the club, the substitute bench was instructive. Youri Tielemans and James Maddison both entered, but Wesley Fofana was nowhere to be found.

Fofana, it seems, has been successfully knocked out by Chelsea. The defender was ruled out for last weekend's game at Southampton - it would be a mutually agreed position - and it remains as likely as not that he will move south to London by the end of this window.

But if or when it does go ahead, it will be yet another sign of the concentration of power at the top of the game and a reminder that, with five out of nine substitutes now permitted and football becoming a game of team, this concentration at the top seems likely to become increasingly dense.

Chelsea have now reportedly seen three bids rejected for Fofana, the latest at £70million. Leicester's reported stance on the player was originally, as expected, to say he was 'not for sale', but that stance appears to have softened as Chelsea continued to linger on the pitch gates workout.

It is now suggested they will be content to break the world record transfer fee for a defender - as they did in 2019, when Manchester United paid £80million for Harry Maguire - and it's safe to say they could do with the money.

Leicester needed a squad refresh this summer but that hasn't happened. Kasper Schmeichel has left for Nice, Hamza Choudhury on loan at Watford and Ademola Lookman is close to signing for Atalanta, but there have been no substantial arrivals. But even if they were to receive £80million for Fofana today, they would struggle to find the players they need in the seven days remaining before the transfer window closes until the New Year. .

And the problem Fofana and Chelsea have is that the leverage they have to get the deal done before the window closes is not particularly high. Fofana only signed a two-year extension to his contract with Leicester in March, an extension which tied him to the club until 2027.

They simply have no obligation to sell for a penny less than the price they deem acceptable. And if some people suggest they should "soften their stance", one could counter that they have already softened it from "not for sale" to "at least £80m".

There seems little question that Fofana is a generational talent. He is considered by some to be the best young central defender in the world. As such, it seems entirely realistic for Leicester to demand an exorbitant transfer fee for this player. They saw it through the rehabilitation of his fractured leg, an injury that meant he lost his life.