Lyon set to sign Paul Akouokou from Real Betis | OneFootball

Having been unable to finalise a deal for Argentinian World Cup winner Guido Rodríguez, Lyon have instead opted to sign his Real Betis teammate Paul Akouokou, according to a report from L’Équipe this morning.

At manager Laurent Blanc’s insistence, the Ligue 1 strugglers had been in the market to sign a defensive midfielder before the deadline – they now have their man in the Ivorian international, who will sign on a three-year deal.

The 25-year-old, who first joined Real Betis’ reserve team in 2018 before making the jump to the first team in 2020, has made 44 appearances in all competitions for the Andalusians. Lyon are set to pay close to €3m to complete his signing, although L’Équipe also indicate that a tangle between agents could yet see the deal collapse.

Should the deal be finalised, Lyon will still have room in their budget to complete another move – in spite of the transfer restrictions placed on them this summer by the DNCG, French football’s financial watchdog. Les Dogues‘ recruitment team are notably looking at Almería winger Largie Ramazani as a potential final arrival.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin