OL signs Keito Nakamura as “joker” after Fofana’s Sunderland exit

OL have moved to sign Keito Nakamura, the Japanese winger from Reims, this Wednesday to replace Malick Fofana, who has just gone to Sunderland. As reported by L’Équipe, the deal is structured as a “joker” because Nakamura comes from another French club, which allows Lyon to act outside the transfer window.

A “joker” after the delay

The paper points to the four-hour gap between the French and English deadline times: France shut at 20:00, while England closed at midnight. That mismatch hurt Lyon in the final stretch—Youssouf Fofana’s loan fell through at the French cutoff because OL couldn’t complete the Nicolás Tagliafico departure in time, meaning they couldn’t free the Argentine’s wages to register the midfielder.

Nakamura, meanwhile, spent the night waiting. The sale of Fofana to Sunderland wasn’t completed until around 23:30, i.e., after the critical moment to register players in France. L’Équipe adds that the OL leadership reassured the winger: he had arrived in Lyon a few hours earlier to undergo his medical.

Price tag with incentives

In the background, L’Équipe says OL will pay only €1m this summer, with the deal featuring €19m in bonuses of very different types. Around a handful of them are described as close to guaranteed by the end of the season, while the remainder is more uncertain. With that breakdown, the final cost is estimated at roughly €10m for Nakamura.