Lyon boss Fonseca confident Fofana will stay

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Lyon head coach Paulo Fonseca is confident Malick Fofana will remain at the club this summer.

Fofana joined Lyon in January 2024 from Gent and has made 82 appearances across all competitions for the French club, scoring 18 goals and providing six assists.

The 21-year-old featured just 16 times for Lyon last season, however, after suffering a long-term ankle injury.

Fofana scored his first Ligue 1 goal since October 2025 on Saturday as he netted in Lyon’s 2-0 win over Toulouse; he has scored more often against Toulouse (three) than any other team in his top-flight career.

Despite offers coming in for the Belgium international, Fonseca is pleased to keep Fofana at the club.

“It was a difficult period for Malick; he had surgery and came back with some pain,” Fonseca said ahead of Lyon’s second leg against Fenerbahce in the Champions League qualifying play-off round.

“But now he’s in a good place, he’s physically fit, and he’s motivated. With everything that’s been said about him, he’s handled the situation well mentally, and I think he’ll be a player who will continue with us.

— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) August 23, 2026

“I feel that Malick is very motivated to continue [with us] but also for the match, which is important for us.

“We’re not really concerned about selling Malick. If we wanted to sell him now, we have offers, but I think the club has handled the situation well.

“We know his quality, and if other clubs want Malick, they’ll have to pay well. The club has refused offers because we have a lot of faith in our players, and I believe his value is high right now.”

Lyon drew the first leg of their Champions League tie with Fenerbahce 1-1 as Lois Openda saw his opener cancelled out by Mason Greenwood.

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