‘To be honest’ - Newcastle United and Arsenal transfer target breaks silence on future

Lens midfielder Seko Fofana has opened up on speculation linking him with a move away from the Ligue 1 club.

Newcastle United and Arsenal have been linked with a move for the former Manchester City and Udinese midfielder after he impressed during his two-year stay at Estadio Bollaert-Delelis.

Fofana moved to England in 2013 after joining the youth setup at Manchester City after spending time with Paris FC and Lorient.

Impressive loan spells at Fulham and Bastia went without reward at his parent club and Fofana departed to join Udinese in 2016 without making a senior appearance for City.

However, he found his feet in Italy and went on to make over a century of appearances during a four-year stay at Udinese.

Fofana moved back to France when he signed a four-year deal with Lens in August 2020 and captained the club to successive top seven finishes in Ligue 1.

His form in French football’s top tier has captured the attention of a number of clubs around Europe and Newcastle were heavily linked with a move for the powerful midfielder during the January transfer window.

This weekend brought renewed speculation of a move to England after The Mirror suggested Arsenal could be a likely destination.

Discussing his future with L’Equipe last week, Fofana said: “There are no certainties on anything in football.

“To be honest, as the coach said, we are very happy together, we’re working well. There are things that can happen. It’s a situation where lots of people are asking questions, where I’m being linked all over the place.

“I’m trying not to pay attention to that. The reality is that I’m at Lens right now and I’m very happy to be here. Sometimes, being set on leaving, I wouldn’t say that it scares me but the last two years have gone by quickly.

“I want to keep enjoying myself and I won’t take any decision lightly.”

Serie A champions AC Milan are also said to be keen on Fofana and are considering a bid to take the midfielder back to Italy.