Nottingham Forest have agreed a deal with Lyon to sign winger Malick Fofana ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea, according to Fabrizio Romano, in a move that could open the door to Anthony Elanga’s proposed switch to Newcastle United.
Belgium international Fofana has emerged as one of the most sought-after attackers in Europe in recent weeks, with the French outfit suffering from major financial issues which has seen them relegated to Ligue 2 as a result.
Lyon are currently appealing the decision in the hopes of being reinstated, but they are facing a fire-sale of their top talent and Forest look to have moved quickly to secure the signing of the high-related Fofana.
The 20-year-old was previously a major target for Arne Slot’s Premier League champions but is now seemingly heading to the City Ground, in what is a major coup for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.
According to Romano on X, the two clubs have found an agreement for the transfer of the forward, but there is currently no agreement between Forest and the player.
At this stage, Fofana is said to be waiting to assess all his options as he would prefer a move to a Champions League club, with Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Napoli all said to have made contact recently about a deal.
However, if Forest are able to secure his transfer, it will likely open the door for Newcastle to strike a deal for one of their top targets in Elanga.
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Newcastle primed for another Elanga bid
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is keen to bolster his squad for the 2025/26 campaign and is determined to land a dynamic winger, with Elanga his top target.
Indeed, Forest have already turned down one offer of £45million (€53m / $61m) from the Magpies for the Sweden international, with TEAMtalk revealing that Howe has been considering other options after that snub.
However, this latest update involving Fofana gives Newcastle hope that a deal for Elanga could still happen at some point in the coming weeks.
Howe is a massive fan of the 23-year-old’s electric pace and versatility, with Elanga having featured on the right of Forest’s attack as well as centrally.
He scored six goals and added an impressive 12 assists last term as Forest finished the campaign in seventh spot to finish in the Europa Conference League.
Newcastle, meanwhile, finished fifth to secure a Champions League spot, with Elanga keen to showcase his talents on the big stage in what is a major advantage for Howe’s men as they look to wrap up a transfer for the Forest man.
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