Arsenal reach agreement with £34m-rated winger after offer made

Arsenal have agreed personal terms with the highly sought-after Malick Fofana, according to reports, as they look to add another attacker to their ranks ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

Fofana, who was recently linked with a move to newly-promoted Hull City, looks likely to leave Ligue 1 side Lyon before the transfer window slams shut.

The 21-year-old Belgium international made just 16 appearances in all competitions for Paulo Fonseca's side across the 2025-26 season but missed almost six months of action due to an ankle injury.

However, the winger has made a positive start to the campaign, scoring two goals in his last two games for Lyon.

Fofana is said to be attracting interest from a host of clubs, including Inter Milan and Roma, but the player and his agent are 'holding off on offers' from the Premier League and Serie A for Arsenal.

That's according to journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, who claims Arsenal have reached an agreement with Fofana on all matters.

He added: "The player's side is pressuring Lyon to accept Arsenal's offer. Fofana and his agent are holding off on offers from the Premier League and Serie A for Arsenal."

Malick Fofana is wanted by Arsenal. Image credit: Getty

In addition to those reports, Football Transfers claim a 'keen' Fofana has agreed personal terms with the Gunners, although the player's valuation has become a sticking point during talks.

Lyon want €40 million (£34.2m) for the winger, while Arsenal value him 'at less than that figure' as they look to replace Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, who are set to leave on deadline day.

Meanwhile, Lyon's failure to qualify for this season's Champions League has weakened their position. They lost 3-2 on aggregate to Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the final qualifying round last week.

Last month, journalist Romain Molina claimed the Ligue 1 outfit will need to raise around €100 million (£85m) from player sales before the start of next summer to balance the books.

Malick Fofana turned down Liverpool move last summer

Liverpool were heavily linked with a move for Fofana following the departure of Luis Diaz last summer. In fact, Fofana would later reveal that he turned the Premier League side down to prioritise regular game time.

"There was interest from those two clubs (Liverpool and Chelsea), but ultimately it wasn’t concrete enough", he told Belgian publication HBVL.

"I’ve 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. I realise I still have a lot to prove. I’ve already made progress. I’m now more decisive and more involved in the game."