Liverpool are progressing in talks for Ligue 1 ace Malick Fofana despite Chelsea bursting into the frame for him, according to reports.
Fofana is a 20-year-old winger who represents French giants Lyon and mainly plays on the left flank. While he likes to cut inside on his stronger right foot, he is comfortable going in either direction and excels at taking players on before either shooting or putting a cross into the box.
Fofana joined Lyon from Gent in January 2024 and has just enjoyed a great season in France. He ended the campaign with 11 goals and six assists in 41 appearances after establishing himself as one of Lyon’s most potent attacking weapons.
The Belgium international caused Manchester United plenty of problems during the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final and was unlucky to come out on the losing side.
Lyon are facing a tricky financial situation and Fofana is among their top players who could be sold to bring in vital funds.
The race for Fofana is heating up, with French newspaper L’Equipe reporting that Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United are the three main Premier League clubs trying to bring him to England.
Liverpool appear to be in pole position to snap Fofana up as their sporting director, Richard Hughes, has ‘made good progress’ in discussions with the player’s camp in recent days.
The Premier League champions are poised to submit an opening offer for Fofana ‘as soon as they have sold an attacking player’, with Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota all potential exit options.
Liverpool are stepping up their move for Fofana after learning that Chelsea are also keen on him.
David Ornstein has confirmed L’Equipe’s reporting of Chelsea’s interest, stating that Enzo Maresca’s side have made a ‘verbal enquiry’ to see if they can land him.
Chelsea are on the hunt for a new right-footed left winger after deciding to send Jadon Sancho back to Man Utd and Fofana is their latest target.
The Blues have already agreed a seven-year contract with Jamie Gittens and are expected to send Borussia Dortmund a new bid for the English talent.
United’s Alejandro Garnacho is another option for Chelsea as he is reportedly aiming to stay in the Premier League when leaving Old Trafford this summer.
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Liverpool, Chelsea fighting for Malick Fofana
This double update on Fofana comes after TEAMtalk revealed on June 5 that Liverpool are interested in signing the one-cap international after scouting him heavily over the last 12 months.
Liverpool are searching for a new winger, just like Chelsea, and have identified Fofana as a cheaper alternative to Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon, who will cost at least £80million (€94m / $108.5m).
Fofana, in contrast, could be on the move for half of that price at £40m (€47m / $54m).
Liverpool see him as a long-term investment whom they could develop into an elite forward.
The young attacker would likely jump at the chance to join Liverpool if they reach an agreement with Lyon for him.
In May, his agent was asked about a potential move to England and replied: “The choice of heart would be Liverpool. He has the potential to enter the rotation, and above all, we would like to see him succeed African legends such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and El Hadji Diouf.”
The representative did add that Newcastle would be the ‘choice of reason’, but it seems Fofana is more likely to join Liverpool or Chelsea as things stand.
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Who is Malick Fofana?
By Samuel Bannister
Born in the Belgian city of Aalst in 2005, Malick Fofana spent eight years developing in the Gent academy and graduated to earn 64 appearances for the first team.
He earned his move to Lyon in January 2024 and his full international debut for Belgium followed that October.
Right-footed, he has mainly played on the left wing for Lyon, getting more consistent game time in a focused position than he did during his teenage years with Gent.
He has grown in terms of his goal threat too, reaching 11 for the 2024-25 season thanks majorly to his impact for Lyon in the Europa League.
OL’s faith in him is paying off. They paid a significant price to sign him when he was just 18 years old and they were looking over their shoulders in the Ligue 1 table.
It could be argued that OL took a risk buying Fofana. But the player himself is a risk taker. In an age of calculated tactics where anything that could lead to a loss of possession is discouraged, Fofana loves to take on opponents.
There are areas to add to his game, but the way he has improved his finishing is promising. And when you have the explosive pace that he possesses, opponents can sometimes be helpless.
Fofana ranks in the 98th percentile for Ligue 1 wingers and attacking midfielders with the most progressive carries per 90 minutes.
His boss Pierre Sage observed in December that Fofana recorded a ‘quite enormous’ 400 metres of sprinting in one game against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.
Considering players from Europe’s top five leagues, FBref names Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho as the one Fofana is most stylistically similar to.