Nottingham Forest appear to have stolen a march on Chelsea in the race to sign Malick Fofana after agreeing a deal with Lyon to sign the winger.
Fofana emerged as one of Lyon’s brightest young stars following his arrival from Gent in January 2024, making 41 appearances across all competitions with 11 goals and six assists to his name last season.
The 20-year-old also caught the eye during Lyon’s Europa League campaign, but could be one of many players to leave the club this summer due to their financial troubles.
Fofana is likely to command a fee in the region of £43million, with Chelsea one of several top European clubs interested.
Bayern Munich and Napoli have also made contact over completing a deal for the young talent, but Fabrizio Romano reports that Forest have now struck a deal with the club.
Get personalised updates on Chelsea every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
Despite that, other clubs may still have a chance as the report adds that Forest are yet to agree terms with the player.
Fofana, who is under contract at Lyon until the summer of 2028, is said to be holding out on a move to a Champions League club.
Chelsea are keen to add more depth in wide attacking areas and are already closing in on the signing of Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens.
A deal for versatile Brighton forward Joao Pedro is also close to completion, but the club are still keen for further additions as they also consider selling Noni Madueke amid interest from Arsenal.
While Fofana’s arrival would add to their options out wide, William Gallas is uncertain that the 20-year-old should be the priority for his former club right now.
‘Malick Fofana is a young player that is still learning and I don’t think that is the right move,’ Gallas told Prime Casino.
‘Chelsea have a lot of forward players already and I think they need experienced defenders now.
‘They have won the Conference League but that right centre-back position is the one I’d look at, not wingers.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
