£43m player now admits he rejected a move to Liverpool during the summer – ‘there was interest’

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Liverpool mostly experienced the opposite of rejection during the summer transfer window.

Alexander Isak even went on strike at Newcastle to force through his £125m move to Anfield, as Milos Kerkez also spoke excitedly about Liverpool on podcasts while still officially a Bournemouth player.

Clearly, Liverpool are a club who can turn heads, but Malick Fofana has now admitted that he actually rejected a move from Lyon to Merseyside in the summer.

Malick Fofana claims Liverpool interest was not “concrete enough” as Chelsea also mentioned

The Belgium international has now spoken to HBVL about his summer, and admits he decided to prioritise regular playing time instead of making a move to the Premier League now.

Fofana – who Lyon value at £43m – said: “There was interest from those two clubs (Liverpool and Chelsea) but ultimately it wasn’t concrete enough. I’ve thought about a transfer, but I think it’s more important now that I play a lot, and that has to happen at Lyon because I still have progress to make.

“Of course (he has dreams of starting at the World Cup next summer) but I realise I still have a lot to prove. I’ve already made progress, I’m now more decisive and more involved in the game.”

That is a mature outlook for a player just 20 years of age, and it already feels like the youngster has made a wise decision.

Fofana can already boast one goal and one assist in three Ligue 1 appearances so far this season – helping Lyon to three consecutive wins without conceding.

The Lyon No.11 also scored in a 6-0 win for Belgium over Liechtenstein on Thursday.

Malick Fofana does have plans to join Liverpool

The Belgian is clearly someone who cares greatly about his development, as he has actually admitted to wanting a move to Liverpool in the past.

Therefore, it must have been a tough decision for him to reject the Reds in favour of playing time.

Bobo Fofana – who represents the winger – revealed back in March when speaking to Africa Foot that the plan is to join Liverpool at some stage, saying: “The choice of heart would be Liverpool.

“He has the potential to enter the rotation, and above all, we would like to see him succeed African legends such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and El Hadji Diouf.”

In our view, Arne Slot will be more impressed than offended by Fofana choosing game time over a move to Liverpool right now, and if he continues his excellent form, we would presume the Reds will be back in touch in future.