Malick Fofana speaks out on Chelsea and Liverpool interest with 'more important' claim

Malick Fofana has spoken candidly about Chelsea's pursuit of him during the summer transfer window.

The Lyon winger's stellar displays in Ligue 1 sparked intense speculation linking him with a switch to the Premier League. Last term, he played a crucial role in helping the French outfit secure sixth place and earn Conference League qualification.

Earlier this summer, our sister title, football.london revealed that the Belgian featured prominently on Enzo Maresca's wishlist of left-sided attackers before the Blues completed a £55m swoop for Jamie Gittens.

Chelsea are understood to have established preliminary discussions with Lyon regarding a possible transfer, though Borussia Dortmund ace Gittens remained their primary target throughout.

Liverpool were also reportedly monitoring the situation closely.

Addressing the speculation, the 20-year-old suggested that staying put at Lyon represented the optimal decision for his career progression.

"There was interest from those two clubs, but ultimately it wasn't concrete enough," he revealed. "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.

"Of course [I want to go to the 2026 World Cup], but 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.

"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."

Despite his limited playing time at Chelsea, Fofana continues to be a crucial player in Lyon's starting lineup.

The winger played in 41 matches across all competitions last season and has already started all three of the club's Ligue 1 games in the 2025-26 campaign.