Lyon seeking concrete offers for top earners | OneFootball

Like the rest of French football, Lyon are suffering a financial crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing TV rights debacle which left Ligue 1 with a mammoth shortfall. As such, L’Équipe report that OL’s deficit stretches to an estimated €185m having also failed to qualify for the Champions’ League.

As a result, players with lofty market value like Maxwell Cornet (who is interesting Burnley and Hertha Berlin) and higher wages – notably Houssem Aouar, Joachim Andersen and Thiago Mendes – are priority departures for the club. However, Lyon are yet to receive concrete offers for any of the latter category as they look to reduce their squad size while focusing on Peter Bosz’s key targets of Ajax’s 25-year-old goalkeeper André Onana (negotiations are ongoing) and a leading striker.

OL’s sale of the promising young left-back Melvin Bard (20) to OGC Nice last week for just €3m surprised many but, given the club’s finances, like many in Ligue 1, they may simply have had little choice but to sell.

Thiago Mendes has been subject to a loan bid from Flamengo but this type of deal remains unacceptable for Les Gones.