Third Premier League club working to hijack Malick Fofana transfer as deadline day goes into overdrive

A third Premier League club are working to hijack a deal for Lyon winger Malick Fofana after Sunderland agreed a £30 million transfer.

Fofana emerged on the radar of several Premier League clubs after it was revealed that Lyon would need to raise €100m in player sales before the start of next summer following their elimination in the Champions League qualifying round by Fenerbahce.

In one of the summer's most ambitious moves, newly promoted Hull City submitted a €35 million (£30m) verbal bid to sign Fofana last week and spoke with the 21-year-old over video call.

The Belgian unsurprisingly turned down a switch to the MKM Stadium, as he supposedly preferred to join a club that could offer European football.

Fofana has since attracted interest from a host of clubs, including Inter Milan and Roma, but it was Sunderland who have stolen in for the fleet-footed winger despite Arsenal agreeing personal terms.

On Tuesday morning of deadline day (September 1), the Black Cats agreed a deal worth just under £30m for the Lyon superstar and was set to undergo a medical ahead of penning a five-year contract at the Stadium of Light.

But in a dramatic twist, The Athletic's David Ornstein revealed on X that fellow Europa League outfit Crystal Palace are working to hijack a move for the five-cap Belgian international, with manager Pierre Sage entering discussions with the youngster.

Sage previously coached Lyon between 2023 and 2025 when Fofana was signed by the Ligue 1 side and is seen as key to the London team entering the race for the winger's signature in a bid to complete a last minute hijack.

What Pierre Sage has said about Malick Fofana

Widely regarded as one of Europe's most promising talents, Fofana has the potential to become a world-class winger in the future, with injury problems plaguing his development last term.

The 2005-born star was sidelined for six months of the campaign with an ankle injury and only made 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice as Lyon finished fourth in Ligue 1.

Fofana started this campaign with a goal against Toulouse and Sage - who brought him to the club in 2023 - knows all about the Belgian's star-like talents.

In 48 games under Sage, the exciting winger scored 11 goals and assisted five, with the 48-year-old previously waxing lyrical over his ability.

“I see him as a player with a very high level of skill, and he’s currently getting ready to reach that. I really think the next step for him is to start matches and keep up his performance," the Crystal Palace boss told the official Ligue 1 channel in September 2024.

“Once he’s played a few good games and we see the same level of impact as when he comes off the bench, we can confidently say he’s got that down. From there, he can keep building on that momentum. I truly believe he has a bright future ahead.”

In October 2024, Sage added: “He plays the game. A fairly complete player, comfortable in different phases of play. When he needs to cross, he crosses. When he needs to shoot, he shoots. When you respect the game, the game respects you in return, and so do your teammates. He’s a player with top-level potential.”

Whether a phone call from Sage is enough to convince Fofana to snub a move to Sunderland and join Palace remains to be seen, but this transfer saga is one of several exciting deadline day narratives.