Manchester City Born in
Paris, France, Fofana began his youth career at
Paris FC when he was nine and stayed there for six years before joining
Lorient. After two years at Lorient, Fofana began to be a regular in the under-18s in the 2013–14 season, making 20 appearances and scoring 5 goals in the league and playing 7 times scoring twice in
the club's
UEFA Youth League campaign against
CSKA Moscow and
Benfica Juniors. During
Manchester City's U21 friendly match against
HNK Rijeka, he was racially abused by one of the opposition player just before half-time. As a result, players from Manchester City's U21 squad walked off the pitch, prompting the match to be cancelled. After the match, Manager
Patrick Vieira praised the action of the players to walk out.
Fulham (loan) On 27 November 2014, Fofana signed for
Championship side
Fulham on loan until 31 January 2015. He made his Fulham debut two days later, where he came on as a substitute for
Emerson Hyndman in the 63rd minute, in a 2–1 win over
Brighton & Hove Albion. His form and performance convinced Fulham to extend the loan spell until the end of the season. He scored his first goal for the club on 21 March 2015 to secure a 2–0 win away to
Huddersfield Town. Having established himself under the management of
Kit Symons, Fofana went on to make 25 appearances scoring once before returning to his parent club.
Bastia (loan) After making two appearances for City during their pre-season tour in Australia (playing the second half of a 2–0 win over
Adelaide United, and coming on as a late
substitute in Manchester City's 1–0 win over
Melbourne City), the
Premier League club agreed to send Fofana out on loan again to gain further experience. The Frenchman subsequently returned to his native France, to join
Bastia on a season-long loan on 29 July 2015. He made his
Ligue 1 debut in the opening game of the season 10 days later, on 8 August 2015, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2−1 win at home to
Rennes. He then scored his first goal on 12 December 2015, in a 1–1 draw against
Troyes, followed up by assisting in the next game on 19 December 2015, in a 2–0 win over
Reims. In a 1–0 win over
Montpellier on 16 January 2016, Fofana received a straight red card in the 65th minutes. After the match, he was given a four match ban and Fofana, himself, apologised for his action. In total, he made 32 appearances and scoring once for Bastia.
Udinese After three years at Manchester City, Fofana joined
Serie A side
Udinese, signing a five-year deal for worth £2.5 million. In addition, the move included a possible €2 million bonus and Bastia receiving 15% of the total compensation, up to €700K. Fofana made his Udinese debut in the opening game of the season playing 79 minutes before being substituted, in a 4–0 loss against
Roma.
Lens On 18 August 2020, Fofana signed a four-year contract with
Ligue 1 club
Lens. He scored his first goal on 21 February 2021 against
Dijon. After a string of good performances, he was awarded the
Ligue 1 Player of the Month for September 2021. In May 2022, Fofana won the
Prix Marc-Vivien Foé as the best African player in France's top flight for the
2021–22 campaign, following a season in which he scored eight goals in 37 appearances. On 31 August 2022, he signed a contract extension with the club until 2025.
Al-Nassr On 18 July 2023, Fofana joined
Saudi Pro League club
Al Nassr on a three-year deal, reportedly for a fee of €25 million.
Al-Ettifaq (loan) On 30 January 2024, Fofana joined fellow Saudi Arabian side
Al-Ettifaq on a six-month loan. On 17 August 2024, Fofana re-joined Al-Ettifaq on a one-year loan.
Rennes On 1 January 2025, Fofana returned to Ligue 1 and joined
Rennes on a four-and-a-half years contract. The transfer was completed for a fee of €20 million, establishing him as the most expensive sale in the history of the Saudi Pro League.
Porto (loan) On 2 February 2026, Fofana was sent on loan to
Primeira Liga club
Porto until the end of the
2025–26 season. ==International career==