Everton had a bid turned down by Lyon for Malick Fofana during the summer transfer window while Liverpool were linked with a move.
Malick Fofana has insisted that he was happy to remain at Olympique Lyonnais after attracting interest in the summer transfer window.
The winger fired 11 goals and recorded six assists in 41 games for the French side last season. As a result, Fofana was linked with several clubs, with one being Everton.
What’s been said
Speaking to Het Belang van Limburg, the Belgium international confirmed that Liverpool and Chelsea both explored signing him but interest was not concrete. However, Fofana has not ruled out a departure in the future.
He said: “Me the rising star for the Red Devils? Oh well, I'm a normal guy and I stay calm. I don't focus on the media either, I just do what I love: dribbling and scoring.
"There was interest from those two clubs, but ultimately it wasn't concrete enough. I've thought about a transfer, but now I think it's more important that I play a lot, and that has to happen at Lyon. Because I still have some progress to make.”
Fofana was one of several wingers that Everton were unable to get over the line in the summer window. They were priced out of a move for Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad, while Johan Bakayoko decided to join Red Bull Leipzig from PSV Eindhoven.
However, Everton did manage to recruit Tyler Dibling from Southampton after a protracted saga. The 19-year-old joined the Blues for a fee of £35 million plus £5 million in add-ons. Dibling will be hoping to make his Premier League debut for David Moyes’ side when they face Aston Villa at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, having come off the bench in the 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Mansfield.
Everton improvements
Having struggled in attack in recent seasons, Moyes has so far got his frontmen firing on all cylinders in the early stages of the 2025-26 season. Jack Grealish, signed on loan from Manchester City, has made a scintillating start and recorded four assists in two games. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a £25 million arrival from Chelsea, scored a fine goal in the 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.
After the Wolves triumph, Moyes admitted that Grealish’s performances have surpasses his expectations. The Everton manager said: "He is even better than I thought. He probably needs a bit of love and attention. He needs the games as well.
"Hopefully he starts building on it and he gets even better as the season goes on. He is making a big difference. Whether it is his assists, his presence, lots of things. So all credit to him. He is playing the minutes he may not have had in recent years.
"You know, he's so good. What Jack gives us is something just on the edge, which, hopefully it's on the edge of creativeness and maybe scoring goals.”
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