Youssouf Fofana has left Milan on a season-long loan to Sevilla, with the Rossoneri and the LaLiga side confirming the deal in the closing moments of deadline day.
The move ends a chaotic final 48 hours that at one point looked set to leave the midfielder stranded without a club. Fofana had been pushed towards the exit and needed a solution before the window shut, and Sevilla provided it late.
The saga ran through most of deadline day. Lyon accelerated on Monday night and appeared close to bringing Fofana back to Ligue 1, only for complications over the salary split to slow things down. Hull City and Besiktas were floated as alternatives in the final hours before Fabrizio Romano called the Lyon deal done, with the French club believing everything was in place.
It fell apart at the registration stage. France's football finance watchdog blocked Lyon from registering Fofana because they had not sold Malick Fofana, leaving the deal dead and the player facing months on the sidelines. Sevilla then moved in with a late approach and got him over the line before the deadline.
Sevilla confirmed the agreement in a statement on their website, describing it as a loan without an option to buy. Milan's own statement clarified the length, confirming Fofana has joined until 30 June 2027, and thanked him for his professionalism and dedication while wishing him well for the season ahead.
There is no option to buy attached, so this is a straight temporary exit rather than the start of a permanent departure. Fofana arrived from Monaco only last year, and a loan with no purchase clause leaves his long-term situation at Milan unresolved rather than settled.
From here, Fofana gets a season in LaLiga to rebuild his standing, and Milan will reassess in the summer with the player due back at Milanello in 2027.