“There was interest…” – £43m winger admits he considered a possible move to Liverpool during the summer.

Promising Young Winger Confirms Liverpool’s Summer Interest

One of Europe’s most highly regarded young wingers has confirmed that Liverpool expressed genuine interest in signing him during the recent summer transfer window.

Back in June, L’Équipe reported that Liverpool had opened discussions with the representatives of Lyon’s Malick Fofana. The Ligue 1 club reportedly valued the 20-year-old at €50 million (£43.4 million), and those talks appeared to continue into July before fading. Despite significant speculation, Fofana has remained at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium for now and has acknowledged that he considered offers from two Premier League clubs.

Fofana Speaks on Liverpool and Chelsea Links

In an interview with Belgian outlet Het Belang van Limburg (via Sport Witness), Fofana confirmed that both Liverpool and Chelsea had shown interest during the off-season. However, he explained that he chose to stay at Lyon to prioritize regular playing time and further develop his game.

“There was interest from both clubs, but it didn’t go far enough to become concrete,” he said. “I thought about a move, but I believe getting consistent minutes is more important at this stage, and that needs to happen at Lyon. I still have room to grow.”

Future Possibilities for Liverpool?

The Belgian international clearly has significant potential. His former U21 coach at Genk, Emilio Ferrera, even described him as “the greatest talent I ever trained.” So far, Fofana has scored 16 goals in 65 appearances for Lyon and has drawn praise for his dribbling skills—averaging 6.58 progressive carries per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 2% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues (according to FBref).

Despite his talent, Liverpool likely viewed Fofana as more of a long-term prospect than an immediate need. With Cody Gakpo occupying the left-wing role and 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha pushing for more first-team opportunities, the Reds opted against a move.

In fact, The Times’ Paul Joyce recently reported that Liverpool’s decision not to pursue Fofana was influenced by their desire not to block Ngumoha’s development—a call that appears justified given the youngster’s impressive cameo against Newcastle last month.

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes could revisit Fofana as a future target, but for now, both the player and the club seem content with how things stand.