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Arsenal forced into IMMEDIATE decision on January signing
Robin Bairner
- 4 Sept 2025 10:15 BST
- 3 min read
News
Arsenal have been told that if they want to revisit a transfer deal for a player Mikel Arteta closely monitored during the summer, they will have to act quickly.
The Emirates club had the biggest net spend of any club during the summer, landing all the key targets that Arteta wanted, including Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze.
But with the long-term future of players like Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard still hanging in the balance, a move for another attacking player come January should not be discounted.
One man that Arsenal were known to be keeping tabs on during the summer is Lyon’s Malick Fofana. The Belgian has made an electric start to the season with OL, catching the eye with a goal against Metz as Paulo Fonseca’s side have started Ligue 1 with a perfect record.
The Gunners, along with Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Everton, were all closely linked with a move for Fofana in the summer, but according to Corriere dello Sport (via TMW), Inter Milan are already lining up a January move.
The Nerazzurri are keen on adding a player who is an exciting dribbler and can make the difference in one-on-one situations, according to the Italian source. Fofana is, therefore, a player they will target come January after failing to sign Ademola Lookman from Atalanta.
The message to Arsenal is clear: if they want him in January, they will face a fight. But the signs for the Gunners are not all bad. Inter appear only willing to pay €20-25 million for a player with an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €38.3m.
Current ETV
Malick Fofana
M, F (L)
Lyon
Malick Fofana
M, F (L)
Lyon
ETV Range
€34.5M - €42.2M
Fofana set to remain at Lyon
Lyon have been strong in their stance that Fofana will not be allowed to leave in January.
Although the Ligue 1 side have suffered from financial issues, they claim they are over the worst of these.
“We won’t make a sale like Malick Fofana unless something extraordinary happens,” Michael Gerlinger, the club’s general manager, told the media.
“We left a little bit of free budget within the framework and have the possibility of signing in January. So we’ll see what happens.
“There are always financial uncertainties, like when sponsors or clubs go bankrupt and can’t pay.”
Lyon’s stance is actually advantageous for Arsenal if they really want to sign Fofana. The Gunners are unlikely to do much business in January after such a busy summer, but in a year’s time Arteta will have had the opportunity to reassess his squad, and particularly the wide areas where there is still scope for change in the medium to long term.
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