Marseille’s pursuit of Lyon’s Malick Fofana faces obstacles | OneFootball

Olympique de Marseille’s priority this summer is to bring in a winger to replace Luis Henrique (23) following his departure to Internazionale Milan. While Feyenoord’s Igor Paixão (25) remains the number one target, Marseille are preparing alternative approaches.

As Foot Mercato previously reported, one of the surprising targets Marseille are looking at in parallel with Paixao is Olympique Lyonnais winger Malick Fofana (20). However, it is a transfer that faces some significant challenges, as La Provence explains.

The price tag is one notable issue. La Provence writes that Marseille would be expected to pay around €30m. However, The Independent believes that this is closer to €60m, especially since Premier League sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, and Nottingham Forest are involved.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle facing Marseille is that, with AS Saint-Étienne dropping down to Ligue 2, they are now Lyon’s most bitter rival left in the top flight. Transfers between the two sides aren’t unknown, and Jordan Veretout (32) recently crossed the divide, but with so many other suitors available, Lyon might hope to sell to someone else.

GFFN | Nick Hartland