Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana is said to be 'confident' of a return to action by the end of March after suffering a hamstring injury, according to reports. The 24-year-old, who joined the Blues from Leicester City for £75million in August 2022, hurt himself during their 3-0 win over Aston Villa last month.

Fofana picked up the issue while stepping on the ball when challenging Villa's Ollie Watkins. He had started 12 of Chelsea's 13 Premier League matches before then, missing one through suspension. At the time, Enzo Maresca predicted that the France international would miss "at least three, four, five weeks".

But in a press conference before Chelsea's trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday, Maresca revealed that Fofana will be out for a "very long time" in a "big blow", although he does not require surgery yet. The Italian added that Fofana could be out for the rest of the season, adding to their defensive woes.

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Now, however, it has been reported that Fofana is eyeing a return before then. According to French media outlet L'Equipe, the former Saint Etienne man believes he can be back 'ahead of schedule' and is hoping to be back around 'mid/end of March' to help Chelsea for the final couple of months of the season.

Fofana has endured a torrid time with injuries since he moved to Chelsea two-and-a-half years ago. He missed 26 matches during his debut season at Stamford Bridge before sitting out the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear. The Marseille-born centre-back managed to get himself back fit in the summer and started the season in fine form, but he has now missed the last 10 games.

In total, Fofana has made just 32 appearances for Chelsea, scoring twice. "For sure, Wes is a huge loss," Maresca said on Friday. "I don't think this kind of injury can be compared to the rest.

"This one is muscle and previously he hasn't had any muscle problems, so it's completely different. It's a bit unlucky, but he will be back and he will be good in the way he was before he was injured."