Fofana: There were other ways to handle Milan exit, but no hard feelings

Fofana reflects on deadline-day loan to Sevilla

Youssouf Fofana says his departure from AC Milan over the summer could have been handled differently, but insists he harbours "no hard feelings" towards the Rossoneri after settling on loan at Sevilla.

The French midfielder joined Milan in the summer of 2024 and made 68 league appearances across his first two seasons at the club. Following the arrival of Ruben Amorim as head coach over the summer, Fofana ended up on the list of players deemed surplus to requirements heading into the 2026-27 season, alongside Christopher Nkunku, David Odogu and initially Fikayo Tomori as well.

Despite interest in his services, Milan loaned Fofana to Sevilla on the final day of the summer transfer window for 2026-27. The deal does not include an option to buy and reports suggest the Spanish side are paying just 8% of the player’s salary.

"I didn’t want to keep waiting at Milan"

Fofana spoke about the exit in an interview with Spanish outlet El Pais.

"It all happened very quickly," he recalled. "I didn’t have time to think, but there was one important thing: Sevilla really wanted me. I didn’t want to keep waiting at Milan because I knew I wasn’t going to play. I go where people want me and have trust in me."

On the manner of the move, Fofana said: "there were other ways to handle the situation, but they chose their way and there are no hard feelings. We’re all happy now. I’m at Sevilla, they have the squad they wanted."

The midfielder is now focused on his new chapter in LaLiga after the quick turnaround from San Siro to Andalusia.