Liverpool are reportedly battling with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United over a deal to sign Olympique Lyonnais star Malick Fofana, as per Caught Offside.
The Reds refreshed the squad by spending the most money in the summer transfer window to help Arne Slot win the Premier League title once again this season.
Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, and Alexander Isak were purchased to reinforce the frontline; however, it appears the Merseyside club are planning to add more firepower to the attack next year.
Caught Offside claim that Liverpool are interested in Fofana and have been keeping a close eye on his development before making a potential swoop. Slot’s side were considering making a move for the Belgian in the last transfer window and even made contact with the player’s representatives, but didn’t formalise their interest eventually.
Although Liverpool have earmarked Fofana as a serious option to strengthen the flanks, he isn’t the primary target; instead, Antoine Semenyo and Michael Olise are higher on Slot’s wishlist. The Anfield club will only go for Fofana should they fail to buy the primary targets.
The report say that Liverpool aren’t the only club looking at the Lyon star as Man Utd, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Inter Milan are also in this race, while Bayern Munich identified him as a potential target to reinforce the frontline this summer before purchasing Luis Diaz.
Battle
Lyon have slapped a £50m price tag on the 20-year-old’s head with his existing deal set to run until 2028. Fulham and Everton launched a £39m bid to sign him this summer, but he opted to continue his development in French football.
Having struggled with goal-scoring problems last term, the Red Devils decided to revamp the frontline by purchasing Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko this summer.
However, after letting Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Alejandro Garnacho go, United have been left with a thin attack. So, if they qualify for European football next term, they need to add depth to this position.
Tottenham, on the other hand, bolstered the wide forward position by purchasing Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons following Son Heung-min’s departure this summer. However, the Dutchman is a creative midfielder by trait, so it appears Thomas Frank is looking for a new winger next year.
Fofana is a talented player and possesses high potential. So, he would be a great coup for Tottenham, Man Utd, or Liverpool should any of those clubs eventually manage to secure his services.
