Manchester United and Liverpool are currently holding talks to sign the same player.
Both the Red Devils and the Reds have been busy this summer, with Liverpool already agreeing a British record £116m deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen – also taking Jeremie Frimpong from the Bundesliga side – while Manchester United have captured Matheus Cunha in a £62.5m move from Wolves.
Liverpool and Manchester United are now in discussions with Lyon over a deal for Malick Fofana – but the Belgian has already made it clear which Premier League club he prefers.
Liverpool are the “choice of heart” for Malick Fofana
French news outlet L’Equipe state that Manchester United and Liverpool are both holding talks with Lyon over a deal for the Belgium international – who is valued at €50m (£43m) – with Chelsea also keen.
Should each of the Premier League trio meet that asking price, it will come down to Fofana to choose who he wants to join, and the Belgian has already made it clear to his agent who he prefers.
Bobo Fofana – who represents the Lyon No.11 – told Africa Foot back in March that his client dreams of a move to Anfield, saying: “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.”
Intérieur, extérieur … Malick Fofana était on fire 🔥#OLSRFC pic.twitter.com/AWbkLQwble
— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) April 28, 2025
The 20-year-old has alerted the Premier League giants after an impressive 2024/25 campaign, in which he scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 41 appearances across all competitions.
Newcastle United could have a chance of beating Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea to Malick Fofana if Eddie Howe gets involved
While Fofana – who has been compared to Vinicius Junior – is clearly smitten with Liverpool, Newcastle could actually have a chance to sign him from Lyon if the Magpies are happy to act as a stepping stone.
La pépite Malick Fofana 💎#OLASM I @OL pic.twitter.com/4pdd2hIbye
— Ligue 1 McDonald's (@Ligue1) April 28, 2024
In addition to his comments on Liverpool, Bobo Fofana expressed realism over the competition his client would face at Anfield, adding that he and the Lyon wonderkid view Newcastle as the “choice of reason” if he is eager to play regularly from the off.
He said: “Now, the choice of reason would be Newcastle, a well-structured club that could be a first step to gain experience before, perhaps, joining a club in the European top five.”
That does seem logical, as prior reports have suggested Liverpool would only be keen on signing Fofana should Luis Diaz leave for Barcelona, so if Newcastle enter talks, an agreement could well be found.