Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana has completed a season-long loan move to Bundesliga side Union Berlin.
There is no option-to-buy agreement in the deal.
“Union have developed extremely strongly in the last few years and it excites me a lot to be a part of this in the coming season,” Fofana said on his move to Berlin. “The club has made a long and hard effort to find me and now I want to repay that with good performances.”
Chelsea bought Fofana from Molde in January and he signed a deal with the Premier League club until 2029 with an option to extend for a further year.
The 20-year-old Ivory Coast international made three Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season, who finished 12th last season.
His departure comes after Chelsea moved to strengthen their forward line in this summer’s transfer window.
Christopher Nkunku has arrived from RB Leipzig, while the west London side also spent around £30million to recruit Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal. Fellow striker Armando Broja, meanwhile, is expected to feature in Chelsea’s pre-season after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Union finished fourth in last season’s German top flight and will compete in the 2023-24 Champions League.
GO DEEPER
Chelsea can ill afford a repeat of the Mount saga - they must convince Colwill to stay
(Photo: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Get all-access to exclusive stories.
Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.
