The player was not part of coach Ruben Amorim’s plans this season and was excluded from summer friendly tests as well as training with the rest of the team.
He had seemingly secured a transfer on deadline day to Olympique Lyonnais, on loan for €2m with an option to buy at the end of the season for another €12m.
Fofana ends up at Sevilla
However, the Ligue 1 side was stalled by the chaos between Sunderland and Crystal Palace to buy Malick Fofana, and so were not allowed to bring in a replacement by the time of the French deadline.
It was assumed that Youssouf Fofana would therefore end up going to one of the leagues that was still open for a few days and had already targeted him, specifically the Turkish Super Lig with Besiktas and Galatasaray eager.
Instead, Sevilla announced this evening that they have secured Youssouf Fofana on loan without an option to buy.
This kicks the can down the road, but does confirm that the player was not prepared to wait for a more permanent solution in Turkiye.
Sky Sport Italia claim it is a free loan, with Sevilla just contributing to his salary.