LYON HAVE MOVED to end speculation linking Moussa Dembele with a move to Chelsea by stating unequivocally that he will remain at the Ligue 1 club.
Having been locked out of the summer transfer window due to a Fifa ban, the Blues have been forced to lean on young stars like Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi in the first half of the 2019-20 season.
The kids have performed admirably for Frank Lampard in his debut term as Chelsea boss, steering the side to fourth place in the Premier League at the start of 2020, albeit some distance behind Leicester City, Manchester City and particularly runaway leaders Liverpool, who sit 19 points clear of the Londoners.
Now, with their suspension rescinded, Chelsea are expected to be active this winter, with Dembele reportedly emerging as a top target.
The 23-year-old striker has been in fine form for Lyon, scoring 10 Ligue 1 goals to date in an otherwise disappointing start to the season for the club.
Dembele is seen as a strong option to bolster the Chelsea attack, but Lyon are adamant their star forward is not going anywhere.
“L’Olympique Lyonnais are aware of certain reports in the media which suggest that Moussa Dembele could be of interest to other clubs during this transfer period,” the club explained in a statement released on Thursday.
“L’OL would like to reaffirm their wish, just as in the 2019 summer window, to keep Moussa Dembele.
L’OL tient à réaffirmer son souhait, comme lors de l’été 2019, de conserver @MDembele_10.
— Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) January 2, 2020
Toutes les infos ⤵https://t.co/WniqCvpQxD
“The club has total confidence in Moussa and counts on him to form part of a competitive team for seasons to come.”
A former member of the Paris Saint-Germain academy, Dembele got his break as a professional with Fulham after Chelsea’s west London neighbours signed the youngster at the tender age of 16.
After shining in the Championship, the forward then moved to Glasgow with Scottish giants Celtic, winning back-to-back titles at Parkhead before earning a move back to his native France with Lyon.
Dembele has played 71 games for l’OL to date, scoring 30 goals.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
They bloody well better offer him more than a one year deal! He’s been brilliant after the turmoil of the Keane tenure, also I imagine Friendy is a big part of why players would join.
The IRFU need to cop on and tie down the good coaches to long term contracts. Oh and sign the players too. Stop importing players for 2 seasons and promote from within
I hope the IRFU find the funds to keep him longer. Nigel Carolan would be another option.
@Con Cussed: yeah Nigel is an option, but the question remains whether his preference is hands on coaching rather than top management. His track record has been good enough for years to have had Head Coach job offers elswere, but he’s stayed in Galway. My feeling is he loves what he does and isn’t interested in the politics of the top job, could be 100% wrong of course. Jimmy Duffy is established too. Shame the timing was out for Dan McFarland, because he would fit back in perfectly. All the above is conjecture of course, first preference is to keep Friendy. Love what he’s doing and especially the contagious positive vibe he exudes from every pore…..
Suspect Friend will be returning to Australia at the end of the current season. He was very annoyed about the failure to win the game vs Munster last weekend off that final scrum and his pique at his onfield leaders botching (yet again) an end of game opportunity was noticeable. I wonder if he feels he’s taken them as far as he can. I do hope he stays. He’s a great man manager, but a 1 year contract extension offer would force him to look elsewhere, and will the IRFU offer him a 2 year contract – I doubt it.
@David Finn: If the IRFU are serious they have to stop these 1-2 year deals. It gives the wrong message to those receiving them. Keep Friendly at Connacht or resign. The politics at the IRFU does not help in these situations.