Malick Fofana transfer news: Lyon winger at centre of Premier League tug-of-war as Crystal Palace and Sunderland agree deals
Malick Fofana looked set to join Sunderland after the club made significant progress in their pursuit of the 20-year-old, who had also attracted interest from Arsenal; Palace moved to swoop in on Sunderland's deal; Black Cats have been given hope that their deal is still alive
Tuesday 1 September 2026 21:56, UK
Crystal Palace and Sunderland have both agreed deals to sign Malick Fofana, leaving the winger at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war with his next destination still to be decided on Deadline Day.
Fofana had looked set to join Sunderland after the Black Cats made significant progress in their pursuit of the 20-year-old, who had also attracted interest from Arsenal.
Sky Sports News understands Fofana was at Lyon airport on Tuesday afternoon with two private jets waiting for him to make his decision - one bound for London and the other for Sunderland.
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The extraordinary situation has developed after Palace moved to swoop in on Sunderland's deal for the 20-year-old, who had been expected to join the Black Cats after they agreed terms with Lyon earlier on Tuesday.
Sunderland's agreement is worth up to £30m, comprising a £25.7m fixed fee plus £4.3m in add-ons.
Fofana had been given permission to travel for a medical after Sunderland reached their agreement with Lyon and had a five-year contract ready for him.
However, Sky Sports News also revealed Palace had entered direct communication with the player in an attempt to convince him to move to Selhurst Park.
Palace have now secured their own club-to-club agreement with Lyon and are working on the formalities of the transfer. However, the Black Cats have been given hope that their deal to sign the winger is still alive.
Sky Sports News understands Sunderland are putting plans in place to give the player a medical in France.
Sunderland are also in talks with Benfica for Dodi Lukebakio. Initially it was thought Lukebakio was an alternative option to Fofana, but Sunderland are trying to sign both.
A private jet was booked for Lukebakio to fly to the North East on Tuesday night. However, the clock is against Sunderland and their sporting director Flo Ghisolfi.
How did the transfer get to this point?
Sunderland had been exploring moves for Jack Grealish and Igor Paixao as they looked to strengthen their attack before Tuesday's transfer deadline.
They had made an offer for Brazilian winger Paixao, which was rejected by Marseille, with negotiations proving difficult.
There was also a belief that Grealish would prefer to remain in the North West, with the Manchester City player in talks with Everton. That led Sunderland to consider Fofana as a viable alternative.
On Monday, Fofana remained an option for Sunderland going into Deadline Day amid the belief that Paixao would stay at Marseille.
The situation then moved quickly on Tuesday morning with Sunderland agreeing a deal with Lyon for Fofana, and the winger given permission to travel for a medical and a five-year contract expected to follow.
Arsenal had also been interested in the Belgian winger.
But Fofana had not completed his medical with Sunderland, contrary to reports, leaving the door open for Palace to make their move.
Palace's intervention has now turned what appeared to be a straightforward Sunderland transfer into one of the most intriguing deals of Deadline Day.
