When the announcement was made that Lyon was being relegated from Ligue 1 due to financial issues, most of Europe began to scour their squad for opportunities to take on players for pennies on the dollar.
An appeal process led to the club being able to stay in France's top-flight, not to mention impacting Crystal Palace's place in the Europa League, so rumors about their stars leaving France for other clubs died down.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Fabrizio Romano dropped a bombshell on Everton supporters:
🚨🔵 EXCLUSIVE: Everton are in advanced talks to sign Malick Fofana from Olympique Lyon.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 26, 2025
Official bid submitted and clubs now in direct talks, with Everton also in contact with player’s camp.
Everton in discussions on personal terms with Fofana, talks underway. #EFC 🧨 pic.twitter.com/aK1sUzK2e9
Others, such as Paddy Boyland of The Athletic and Paul Joyce of The Times, have also reported on Everton's interest, although there seems to be some discrepancies about how far along the deal might be.
The winger, who just turned 20 at the end of March, played in 41 matches for Lyon last season, starting 23, and scored 11 goals and added five assists in both Ligue 1 and the Europa League, both numbers outperforming the expectations per xG and xAG.
The Belgium international, who made his debut for the senior national team last October, has played all across the front line during his time with Lyon and Gent of the Belgian Pro League, along with some time as a wing back, so he could be a versatile player for David Moyes, as he continues to build up his squad.
This all comes on the heels of Moyes' appearance at a Men in Blazers event last night as part of Everton's preseason tour in the United States, where the Scottish manager said that he hopes the club can sign nine new players before the end of the transfer window.
While many supporters likely scoffed a bit at the manager's pronouncement, the suddenness of this report on Fofana, combined with the news about Bayern Munich left back Adam Aznou, suggests that Moyes might not be too far off his request.
Nothing is done here (in fact, The Bobble indicates a bid has been rejected), nor with Aznou, but the continued focus on young, on-the-rise talent coming in for Everton is great news for supporters to see.