Manchester United, PSG and AC Milan already hold an interest in Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana and now Arsenal have also joined the list of admirers, according to Foot Mercato.
All three clubs will be out in the market looking for a new central midfielder and the fact that Fofana has just one year left on his contract seems to have caught the attention of the big boys of Europe.
He signed a five-year deal with Monaco when he joined from Strasbourg and with his contract coming to an end, there’s a definite chance that Monaco will look to cash in on the 25-year-old at the end of this season.
Talking about the two Premier League clubs, Manchester United will offload players like McTominay, Casemiro and Sofyan Amrabat so they obviously need a new central midfielder. Arsenal are also on the same boat because Thomas Partey is going to leave the club and Mikel Arteta is now actively searching for a replacement.
Youssouf Fofana is not going to sign a new contract with AS Monaco but the French club are still hoping to get around €30 million for him and for the two English clubs, this amount is as good as a free transfer.
Is Youssouf Fofana worthy of playing in England?
In these five years, Youssouf Fofana has played 171 games for Monaco scoring just six goals but the goals tally does not matter much because the 25-year-old is a very defence-minded midfielder.
He’s someone who can play in the middle of the pitch, in a deeper role and if needed, the Frenchman can also play as a right-sided midfielder. Fofana is great at making interceptions which is very much visible from the 32 interceptions and 16 blocks he has made this season. The midfielder has also won 64% of his tackles and more than 50% of his ground and aerial duels.
He massively helps out his defenders and in the 2419 minutes of league football this campaign, Youssouf Fofana has won back possession in the final third a staggering 26 times. He’s been dribbled past just 31 times which is just over 1 per game.
We have seen several impressive players fall prey to the Premier League but if Fofana is really available for just €30 million then he is definitely worth the risk. A bargain player like him will not only be a risk-free signing but it will also allow both Manchester United and Arsenal to use a large portion of their transfer budget to strengthen their other departments.
Arsenal should be able to use Thomas Partey’s sale money to fund a move for Youssouf Fofana and even for Manchester United this amount won’t be an issue because players like McTominay and Casemiro should fetch a lot more than €30 million.
