Youssouf Fofana reacts to Liverpool & Chelsea transfer talk as Premier League interest builds in Monaco midfielder

• Senior international with France
• Graced 2022 World Cup final
• Catching the eye in Ligue 1

WHAT HAPPENED? The 24-year-old has seen his stock soar since moving to Stade Louis II in 2020, with senior international recognition coming his way immediately prior to the 2022 World Cup. Fofana figured for Les Bleus in Qatar, including stepping off the bench in an epic final showdown with Lionel Messi and Argentina, and has continued to catch the eye at club level. He is now seeing a big-money switch to the Premier League speculated on, but continues to give little away when it comes to his future plans.

WHAT THEY SAID: Quizzed on the links to the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, Fofana has said in the Evening Standard: “Monaco is a great club in France and Europe. A lot of big clubs come here to find players and we are all aware of this. If it is the right opportunity or moment [to leave], I can’t say. I don’t know but we are doing things the right way here at the moment. I have already played with top players but if one day I can play with more big names then it will be a pleasure and mean I have performed well.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Fofana is under contract at Monaco until 2024, with there an option within that deal to extend his terms by a further 12 months. He has added on his experience at the World Cup finals, with France seeing off England en route to reaching the final: “I think that the game against England was maybe the most difficult to prepare for. I wouldn’t say we were worried but when you face the runners up from the Euros, of course, you think a little bit more about the game. We had the impression that we would play against a team like ourselves. The England team was a bit like us with a lot of qualities defensively, offensively and it was a big game. If Kane scored the penalty then it would have had a huge impact on the game for sure.”

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? Fofana has taken in 44 appearances for Monaco this season, scoring two goals, and is considered to boast the energy and ball-winning capabilities that would make him a useful asset to Liverpool and Chelsea as they seek to reinforce their respective engine rooms at Anfield and Stamford Bridge.