Carlos Álvarez sale unlocks Sevilla’s last-minute move for Fofana | OneFootball

Sevilla completed the signing of Youssouf Fofana at 23:53, only seven minutes before the window shut, after the sale of former academy product Carlos Álvarez to Club América created room under LaLiga’s limit.

According to Diario de Sevilla, the picture flipped at 20:00 on Tuesday when Olympique Lyonnais’ move for Fofana fell through and the close of the French market opened a door. Sporting director José Ignacio Navarro moved quickly, engaging the player’s agents while opening talks with AC Milan and LaLiga in parallel.

The main obstacle was financial. Milan were willing to study a deal, yet the initial terms exceeded Sevilla’s means and rival bidders held greater resources. The solution arrived via Álvarez, with Sevilla retaining 30% of his future sale and his move to Club América generating the salary-cap space required.

By 22:30 there was a provisional agreement between the clubs and the player’s camp, and LaLiga signalled approval on the back of that new margin. Registration still had to be finalised.

Paperwork was completed after 23:30, leaving precious little time before Spain’s deadline. Sevilla filed the documents seven minutes before the cut-off and, at 23:53, Fofana’s move was confirmed within the window.

Sevilla had tracked Fofana for some time despite a valuation of around 23 million euros. In Nervión, it will be remembered as one of the stories of the summer.

Source: La Colina De Nervion

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”