1 day ago
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€30m market value
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Since Todd Boehly became Chairman of Chelsea Football Club in 2022, the west London side have spent almost €1.5 billion on transfers. No other club comes near to that figure in the same timeframe. And the Blues are showing no signs of calming down in the transfer market. They have already spent €115.8m this summer - only Manchester City have spent more - and they are expected to splash a lot more cash before the deadline shuts at the end of the summer. Having paid €5m to not, yes not, sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent transfer, the club are reportedly targeting a winger this summer. Transfermarkt understands Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Gittens is among their primary targets, but also high on that list is Lyon's Belgian winger Malick Fofana.
According to The Athletic and French publication L'Equipe, Chelsea have made a verbal enquiry to Lyon regarding Fofana, with the winger among multiple options they are considering amid Sancho's exit. The 20-year-old was signed by the Ligue 1 outfit in January 2024 for €19.5m from Belgian side Genk and the youngster really begun to showcase his potential last term. He provided nine goal contributions in 29 Ligue 1 matches, which is not groundbreaking, but he is a player very well thought of at the club. So is the youngster ready for the weight of expectation that would inevitably come at Stamford Bridge? And is he what Chelsea need this summer? With expert insight form our team in France, we try to determine just that.
What type of winger is Malick Fofana?
"Fofana is a quick, agile winger who shines in one-on-one situations," says Transfermarkt's Content Manager in France, Joachim Durand. "At Lyon, Fofana quickly emerged as one of their main attacking assets. But he distinguished himself more through occasional flashes of brilliance than through real periods of success. He made a particular impact in the Europa League this season (against Rangers, Steaua Bucharest and Manchester United)." It's perhaps in that competition that the young Belgian caught the eye of Chelsea scouts - he boasted far better numbers in Europe than domestically for Lyon last season, with eight goal contributions in 10 Europa League games.
However, he may not be ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League just yet. "His small stature (1.69m) is likely to be a hindrance in the Premier League, or at the very least it will require time for him to adapt, particularly in terms of physicality," explained Durand. "His overall statistics aren't great, but he is still very young. He is undoubtedly one of Belgium's greatest talents in his position, just as Jérémy Doku was before him." Chelsea already have a number of high profile players across the three attacking positions behind the striker, and there will be plenty of competition for Fofana should he make the move to the Premier League.
"It's hard to say whether he's ready for Chelsea," Durand admits. "I see him at a similar stage to Noni Madueke when he first arrived. About the same age, great potential, but comes from a 'lower-ranked' league and doesn't have very impressive stats. So he'll probably have to go through the same process as the Englishman did at Chelsea. Regarding the fee, L'Equipe claims that Lyon have set their price at €50m. But I'd be surprised if he went for that fee, especially when you consider how much they sold Cherki for, (€36.5m) who was more hyped and further developed. I find it hard to imagine a transfer above €40m unless an English club cracks, like Chelsea and Man United sometimes do."
