'There was interest': £51m winger admits Liverpool were keen on him this summer and shares why move failed
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Liverpool had a hugely successful summer as a whole, but in the end, not all moves materialised.
The Reds spent £446m this summer, the most ever spent by a Premier League club in a single window, beating the £434.5m spent by Chelsea in the summer of 2023.
The scary thing is that it could have been even more too as the Marc Guehi deal would have added another £35m to that total.
Although he obviously came the closest to making the switch to Anfield, there were a few others often linked throughout the last few months, with Lyon’s Malick Fofana one of these.
The Belgian wanted to leave at first but was waiting for a Champions League club to make a bid, although he decided to stay after that did not happen.
Fofana himself has now spoken out about the situation, with the 20-year-old revealing why a move to Liverpool did not occur.
Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images
This season is vital for almost all players as the World Cup is right around the corner and everyone will want to be a part of their national team to compete.
This applies to players like Fofana especially as the quality is there and he is certainly on the verge of being picked, he just needs consistent playing time to continue proving why he is worth the gamble.
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This is something the winger recognised and played a key role in his decision to stay at the club, even if there was a small bit of interest from elsewhere.
“There was interest from those two clubs, but ultimately it wasn’t concrete enough,” Fofana told HBVL.
“I thought about a transfer, but I think it’s more important now that I play a lot, and that has to happen at Lyon.
Because I still have progress to make.
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“Of course [I want to go to the 2026 World Cup], but I realise I still have a lot to prove.
I’m now more decisive and more involved in the game.
“I’m just a normal lad and I’m keeping my cool.
I don’t focus on the media either, I just do what I love to do: dribble and score.”
Fofana has made the team for the World Cup qualifiers going on this week, suggesting that if he continues at Lyon the way he is, then he will be at the tournament come June.
Despite the amount Liverpool have spent this summer, many still believe they are a little short of attacking depth, especially at left-wing.
The Reds have Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha as their natural players in this area, but relying on the latter at just 16-years-old seems rather risky.
Liverpool did not want to block Ngumoha’s path, hence why they did not make a signing this summer, but there is a strong possibility they sign one next year, and this could very well be Fofana.
He is a good age, has the experience and has the quality needed, so one more year of consistency might force Liverpool to make a move when the time comes.