Sunderland looked set to sign Lyon winger Malick Fofana on deadline day, but Premier League rivals Crystal Palace have attempted to hijack the deal.
Sunderland looked poised to secure one of the biggest transfer coups of the summer window with the imminent signing of Lyon winger Malick Fofana, who Arsenal had been heavily linked with, before Crystal Palace's attempted hijack emerged.
Just days ago, Sunderland's interest in Lyon winger Fofana emerged as a marquee addition to Regis Le Bris' side, with the Black Cats reportedly set to beat the likes of Hull City and Roma to his signature.
Following that, however, David Ornstein of The Athletic reported that Premier League champions Arsenal were weighing up a move for Belgian international Fofana, with the 21-year-old winger holding talks with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
However, Arsenal's move for Fofana has not materialised due to disagreement over the proposed fee with Ligue 1 giants Lyon, who recently missed out on Champions League qualification to Fenerbahçe.
As a result, Ornstein followed that up with reports that Sunderland have reached an agreement with Lyon to sign the exciting winger, who has been permitted to travel for a medical with the Black Cats to complete the permanent transfer.
Fofana looked set to pen a five-year contract with Sunderland with an extra 12-month option, with the total package agreement between the two clubs in the region of €30m/£25.7m plus €5m/£4.3m in add-ons.
However, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Sunderland's top flight rivals, Crystal Palace, have sent an improved bid to Lyon for the winger, with Keith Downie of Sky Sports noting that Fofana has yet to undergo a Sunderland medical but has been given permission to do so by Lyon.
Romano reports that Palace are attempting to hijack the deal, with Pierre Sage's side offering better financial conditions than the £30m package that had been offered by the Black Cats.
Lyon signed Fofana from Gent in the January window of 2024 for a fee in the region of €20m, and the pacey wideman has since gone on to score 19 goals and notch six assists for the French giants in 81 outings.
Palace's upperhand in the transfer battle with Sunderland could be the fact that Sage was Fofana's head coach at Lyon during his first year with the Ligue 1 outfit, and their previous fruitful working relationship could see the Black Cats miss out on the marquee signing.
Despite Fofana appearing destined to join the Stadium of Light project, Palace have infused some deadline day drama into the move, and now it remains to be seen which Premier League side the talented young winger will join before the window slams shut at 11pm.
