AFTER the most dramatic deadline day of twists, turns and uncertainty, Malick Fofana is a Sunderland player.
The 21-year-old's £31m move to the Stadium of Light was confirmed shortly after midnight. He has signed a long-term deal. Sunderland will pay £25.7m up front, with a further £4.3m due in add-ons.
It brings to a close the most remarkable deadline day, with Sunderland and Crystal Palace engulfed in a dramatic battle to sign the Lyon winger.
It all looked routine enough when the Black Cats agreed a deal with Lyon on Tuesday morning but Palace - whose boss Pierre Sage previously managed Fofana in France - then attempted to hijack the move.
It was then down to the player to decide, with various reports emerging throughout the afternoon and evening claiming that both sides were in in favourable positions at different stages.
Having initially failed to get on a flight to either the North-East or London, Fofana underwent a medical in Lyon, with representatives from both Sunderland and Palace able to view the results.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus then headed to France to meet with Fofana and help convince the winger to join the Black Cats - with confirmation of his decision coming shortly before the 11pm deadline.
Sunderland then submitted a deal sheet, and one of the most dramatic sagas in recent deadline day history came to a successful conclusion.
The Black Cats were desperate to strengthen on the flanks this summer. Fofana is predominantly a left sided attacker.
The Belgian developed through the ranks at Gent before making his senior debut in 2022. He went on to make more than 60 appearances for the first team before moving to Lyon in 2024, where he established himself as a key first team player.
Arsenal are admirers of Fofana and weighed up a move for the attacker late in the window.
After his Sunderland move was confirmed, director of football Florent Ghisolfi said: “Malick has all the attributes to thrive in the Premier League.
“He is a player with huge potential and Sunderland AFC will provide him with the right environment to continue to develop and prosper.
“He operates off the left and will complement the versatility of the other wide men we have at the club, who can play across both flanks.
“We are delighted to welcome Malick to the club and look forward to supporting him as he takes the next steps in his career.”
Share