Ligue 1: Lyon confirms Dembele offers but rules out January exit

Chelsea is reportedly interested in Moussa Dembele, but Lyon has no plans to sell the striker halfway through the season.

Published : Jan 08, 2020 22:17 IST

Lyon forward Moussa Dembele.
Lyon forward Moussa Dembele.
lightbox-info

Lyon forward Moussa Dembele.

Moussa Dembele has been the subject of transfer bids but the striker will not leave Lyon in January, according to president Jean-Michel Aulas.

Chelsea is reportedly interested in the 23-year-old, who has scored 10 goals in Ligue 1 this season in 18 appearances, as Frank Lampard seeks a new forward to take some of the pressure off Tammy Abraham.

It has been suggested the Premier League club could offer cash plus Olivier Giroud to tempt Lyon into a sale during the transfer window.

However, although he says offers have been made for some of Lyon's top players, Aulas insists Dembele wants to stay at the club at least for now.

"Moussa Dembele will not leave because he wants to stay and win something with OL," he said to reporters on Wednesday.

"There have been offers for him and for other players, but none of those whom we want to keep will leave in January."

Indeed, Aulas says Lyon's primary objective is to strengthen its squad and mount a challenge for the Champions League places, given it is 12th in the table after 19 matches.

"We'll try to make ourselves stronger," he said. "The first reaction was to get the youngsters in the academy to play more and show themselves more. The second is to recruit.

"The board of directors have decided to do that, but not at any cost and not in just any situation. We'll only carry out plans that correspond to what the sporting director, the advisers and the coach want."

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment