RB Leipzig has emerged as a concrete destination for Olympique Lyonnais winger Malick Fofana in the final hours of the transfer window, according to Sacha Tavolieri.
The 21-year-old Belgian international has approved the move to the Bundesliga club, with the guarantee of UEFA Champions League football this season understood to be the primary reason behind his decision.
Arsenal are considering a move for Lyon winger Malick Fofana ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline, with the club assessing attacking options after Gabriel Martinelli’s impending departure to Al Hilal and Gabriel Jesus’ expected move to Barcelona.
Fofana, 21, has been on Arsenal’s radar and has spoken with manager Mikel Arteta. The Belgium international could represent a potential market opportunity after Lyon failed to qualify for the league phase of this season’s Champions League.
Fofana has scored 19 goals in 83 appearances for Lyon, including two goals in five matches this season. He scored against Fenerbahce in Lyon’s Champions League playoff defeat and also found the net in a Ligue 1 win over Toulouse.
Arsenal’s interest comes as Martinelli prepares to join Al Hilal in a €70 million (£60m) agreement, while Jesus is closing in on a move to Barcelona in an advanced €10m (£8.5m; $11.6m) deal.
The north London club have already signed one left-sided attacker this summer, bringing in Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge after Leandro Trossard’s departure for Besiktas.
Arsenal previously explored an ambitious move for Vinicius Junior, but the Brazil forward opted to remain at Real Madrid by signing a new long-term contract with the Spanish club.
Tzolis started Arsenal’s Premier League-opening victory over Coventry City a week ago after an impressive pre-season. Fofana has now emerged as another option under consideration before Tuesday’s deadline.
Chelsea made a verbal enquiry for Fofana last summer, while Everton held talks over a possible transfer.
Fofana joined Lyon from Belgian club Gent in January 2024 for €17 million and is under contract until June 2028. He came through Gent’s academy in Belgium and made his senior debut in July 2022.
The winger went on to make 64 appearances for Gent, scoring five goals and providing 10 assists, before moving to Lyon.
Fofana has scored once in five appearances for Belgium, but he was not included in his country’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Bradley Barcola’s career once appeared to have stalled. After earning rave reviews for securing a regular place in Lyon’s starting XI under Peter Bosz, the 20-year-old winger fell out of favour and was playing for the reserves by the time the Dutch coach was replaced by Laurent Blanc in October 2022.
According to L’Equipe,, external Barcola was close to joining Swiss club St Gallen in January 2023 to gain more playing time. His route back into the first team was helped by a team-mate’s act of petulance.
Lyon fans were frustrated by the team’s poor form and had made first-choice forward Karl Toko Ekambi the focus of their anger. The relationship between the Cameroon international and Lyon’s ultras deteriorated further when he stormed down the tunnel and kicked a rubbish bin after being substituted during a 2-1 home defeat by Strasbourg.
The incident was caught on camera, and Toko Ekambi never played for Lyon again. That opened the door for Barcola, who took his chance. He started most of Lyon’s remaining matches that season and scored five goals, including the winner against champions-in-waiting Paris St-Germain in April 2023.
Five months after scoring at the Parc des Princes, Barcola became a PSG player. His reported £38.5m transfer came two weeks after Brazil forward Neymar left Paris for Saudi Arabia. Lyon were struggling in the table and were also unable to sign replacements because of financial restrictions.
“Barcola’s first game for PSG was back at Lyon,” Pierre-Etienne Minonzio, a football journalist for L’Equipe, told BBC Sport.
“He was booed by the Lyon fans because it was just after the transfer. PSG boss Luis Enrique asked Barcola, who was very young at the time, if he was ready to play.”
“He said yes, came on as a substitute, and it was impressive.”
Barcola, nicknamed the ‘grasshopper’ because of his speed, agility and slight frame, went on to win three Ligue 1 titles and back-to-back Champions Leagues during his three seasons in the French capital. He broke into the France team two years ago and scored three times as this summer’s World Cup as they reached the semi-finals.
With Liverpool agreeing a £123m deal to sign him, Barcola is now heading to the Premier League.
His journey from kicking a ball around as a schoolboy on the playing fields of Vaulx-en-Velin, east of Lyon, to becoming a nine-figure superstar has been remarkable. However, his rise has not been without difficulties.
“Barcola is hugely ambitious,” added Minonzio.
“He is from a generation of young French talent who are prepared to work hard and want to be a better version of themselves.”
“They will do whatever they have to do to get there. They don’t ask questions – they just do it.”