Everton have reportedly made a surprise offer worth €36m (£31.5m) plus add-ons to sign Chelsea and Liverpool transfer target Malick Fofana.
The Toffees could reach an agreement with French club Lyon ‘fairly quickly’ in a stunning transfer twist, French outlet L’Equipe reported on Saturday.
Everton and Lyon are currently in club-to-club talks while David Moyes’ side are also discussing personal terms with Fofana ahead of a possible move.
Liverpool and Chelsea were both linked with a deal for the 20-year-old winger earlier in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal, Nottingham Forest and Fulham had also expressed an interest in Fofana while Bayern Munich, Napoli and RB Leipzig were keen on him too.
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Chelsea had even made a verbal enquiry for the Belgium international – but it appears he could be heading to Everton instead.
Who is Malick Fofana?
Fofana has played a total of 64 games for Lyon to date, conjuring up 15 goals and seven assists for the Ligue 1 side.
The Belgian helped Lyon reach the Coupe de France final in 2024 and has established himself as one of the brightest young talents across Europe.
Fofana joined Lyon from Gent in January 2024, with the French club paying a fee of €17 million plus €5 million in add-ons to sign the player.
It’s thought that Lyon want to secure at least €40m (£35m) in fixed terms to allow Fofana to join Everton.
Everton are keen to wrap up the deal as soon as possible due to the interest from other Premier League teams.
Who have Everton signed this summer?
Fofana could become Everton’s third summer signing after deals for Villarreal forward Thierno Barry and AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers.
Carlos Alcaraz has also joined Everton on a permanent deal after a spell on loan from Flamengo last season.
Everton are not done there, though, with the Merseyside club progressing in a move to sign Bayern Munich defender Adam Aznou too.
The Toffees are set for a new era in the 2025-26 campaign after moving into their brand new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton face a trip to promoted side Leeds United on August 18 in their opening game of the upcoming Premier League season.
