Malick Fofana: Position, transfer fee, style of play, stats & more

Lyon winger Malick Fofana has seemingly emerged as a summer transfer target for numerous Premier League sides.

In what could well be one of the most active transfer windows we've seen in recent years, Lyon's Fofana is attracting interest after an impressive campaign for the French outfit.

Here is everything you need to know about Lyon winger and Premier League transfer target Malick Fofana.

Malick Fofana age, nationality & background

Born on 31st March 2005, Malick Fofana is 20 years old.

Born in Aalst, Belgium, Fofana is of Guinean and Filipino descent.

Malick Fofana transfer fee and contract

Arriving from Gent in the 2023/24 Januray transfer window for a reported €22m package, it's hard to see Lyon demand anything less than double that for the Belgian winger, with a €45-50m price tag having been mooted.

With interest emerging from more than one Premier League side, Lyon will be hoping for a bidding war to commence, driving up the eventual price of the winger.

Fofana still has three years remaining on his Lyon contract, so it'd expected the club would be in no desperate rush to sell shouldn't they receive what they view as an appropriate bid.

Malick Fofana transfer rumours

While The Athletic's David Ornstein reported that Chelsea had made a "verbal enquiry" for the Lyon winger, he reiterated the fact that there is "nothing advanced" as of yet.

Liverpool too are said to share an interest in the Belgian international, though whether they decide to act on said interest could depend on departures in the forward line.

Brighton and Nottingham Forest are reported admirers of Fofana, though they could struggle to match the fee that Chelsea or Liverpool would be willing to offer.

What to expect from Malick Fofana

Position

Malick Fofana is a left-winger, though is competent on the right-hand side and as a centre forward.

Height and build

Fofana is 5ft 7ins and of a lean build.

Preferred foot

Fofana is primarily right-footed, but is competent on his weaker left foot.

Style of play

Predominantly playing on the left side of Lyon's attack, Malick Fofana likes to occupy the touchline. This either draws out the opposition's full-back, leaving space in behind, or allows the winger to receive the ball and directly square up his opponent in a one v one scenario.

Fofana thrives when playing against high lines, where there is space to expose behind the opposition's defence, but don't let this misguide you from the Belgian's ability to pose a threat against a deep block.

Ranked in the top six percentile for carries into the final third and the top eight percentile for crosses into the penalty area, Fofana has few problems beating his man on either side.

Similarly to Jeremy Doku, however, Fofana's main flaws often come to fruition when he has advanced into the final third and has to decide what action to take. That said, aged 20 his output will undoubtedly grow with experience, and a record of five goals and four assists in the 2024/24 Ligue 1 campaign is by no means disgraceful.

Stats

Metric	Total (Per 90)	Rank
Progressive Carries	6.72	Top 2%
Non-Penalty Goals	0.47	Top 10%
Shot on Target %	55.8%	Top 1%
Crosses into Penalty Area	0.64	Top 8%
Carries into Final Third	3.34	Top 6%

(Source: FBref.com based on comparison to positional peers in Men's Big 5 Leagues in last 365 days).

Career so far

Previous clubs

Fofana joined Gent's youth academy at the age of nine, making his professional debut for the club on the 30th July 2022. He played 64 senior games for the Belgian side, before moving to French side Lyon in January 2024 for an estimated €22m.

In 62 games for Lyon he has scored 15 times, having registered seven assists.

International caps

Of Guinean and Filipino descent, Fofana opted to represent Belgian. On his pathway to his senior debut, he represented the U15s, U17s, U18s, U20, and U21s.

Fofana made his one and only appearance for the national team in a 2-2 draw against Italy in the Nations League.

What could Malick Fofana bring to your club?

A direct and pacey winger with the attributes to become efficient in front of goal, Malick Fofana would be a shrewd addition to a number of Premier League sides.

While for a team who see less of the ball he could offer the perfect outlet on the counter-attack, for a side who tend to maintain the majority of possession, he could add an extra element to the attack, adding more ways to break down a low block.