Liverpool 'target' suffers injury blow as club reject bid for 'quality' midfielder
Liverpool have been heavily linked with Malick Fofana while Lyon could look to sign a current Reds midfielder.
A player linked with Liverpool in the summer transfer window has suffered an injury blow.
The Reds are among the clubs who have been linked with Olympique Lyonnais winger Malick Fofana in the summer transfer window. Fofana recorded 11 goals and registered six assists in 41 games for Les Gones last season.
Lyon were relegated to Ligue 2 by the French football finance watchdog DNCG but have been reinstated to the top flight upon appeal. However, their situation off the pitch may still be precarious and they have already sold key players Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Thiago Almada (Atletico Madrid) and Lucas Perri (Leeds United).
Liverpool’s city rivals Everton lodged a bid for Fofana over the weekend of £31.5 million, but saw it rejected. Reports suggest that Lyon are looking for a fee closer to around £40 million for the 20-year-old. In addition, Fofana reportedly wants to join a club who are in the Champions League.
With Luis Diaz leaving Liverpool for Bayern Munich, as well as Federico Chiesa almost certain to depart, the Premier League champions could be in the market for a new wide man.
Yet Fofana has suffered a setback during Lyon’s training camp in Austria. The Belgium international sustained concussion and must follow protocol before returning, meaning he will be out of action for 10 days, according to RMC Sport. It has ruled him out of friendlies against Mallorca and Bayern Munich.
Interestingly, reports suggest that Lyon are keen on signing a Liverpool player. The Times suggests that Les Gones have made contact with the Reds over Tyler Morton. The midfielder will be allowed to leave Anfield this summer for the right price, having not made a single appearance en route to the Premier League title last season.
Morton had spent the previous two campaigns on loan at Blackburn Rovers and Hull City respectively. Earlier this summer, he helped England under-21s claim European Championship glory.
Lyon have reportedly made a bid but it falls short of Liverpool’s valuation, which is in excess of £10 million. Morton is behind Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones in the pecking order.
Morton was kept at Anfield to provide cover last season rather than being allowed to depart. On the decision, head coach Arne Slot said: “So, we can't let everybody go that doesn't play all the time – and there Tyler Morton is a good example of that. He's a quality, quality player, good enough to play everywhere around the league, but is in competition with so many good midfielders over here.”
Morton is also on the radar of Liverpool’s Premier League rivals West Ham United.