FEATURE | Three players your club could sign following Lyon’s relegation to Ligue 2 | OneFootball

Following their latest meeting with the DNCG, Lyon have been relegated to Ligue 2 due to the continued poor financial management of the club. This latest development has created a serious level of uncertainty on one of France’s biggest clubs. Major sales have already been made to avoid this eventual outcome, like Rayan Cherki’s transfer to Manchester City, but with their fate now known (pending appeal), several more players are likely to follow the playmaker out of the door at the Groupama Stadium.

Here are three players your club could target, following OL’s administrative demotion to the second tier of French football:

Malick Fofana

Malick Fofana (20) is perhaps the most coveted player at Lyon this summer, and was already generating serious interest before the announcement of the 7-time Ligue 1 winners’ relegation to the second division. The Belgian international attacker has attracted the interest of Chelsea and Liverpool.

This interest is only likely to heighten following the club’s relegation. The 20-year-old impressed for Les Gones last season with 11 goals and 5 assists in 41 appearances across all competitions. Most eye-catchingly, the winger has a superb ability to carry the ball forwards at a considerable pace. Fofana proved to be a useful weapon for Lyon on the counter-attack last season, propelling them forward when space was provided. He averages an astonishing 6.72 progressive carries per 90.

Fofana cost Les Gones €19.5m from Gent, and has an asking price of €50m this summer. However, OL could be forced to sell for less if they are playing in the lower divisions of French football.

Georges Mikautadze

Lyon pulled off an impressive coup when they were able to steal a march over their divisional rivals and sign Georges Mikautadze (24) from Metz for a fee of €18.5m. The Georgian international was the highest scoring player in the second half of the 2023/24 season with 13 goals in 20 appearances, and the move presented impressive work from the Ligue 1 club in the transfer market.

Playing back at his boyhood club, the former Ajax attacker wasn’t quite able to re-find his form from his loan spell at Metz, but showed glimpses of his impressive goal-scoring ability despite playing much of the season as an understudy to Alexandre Lacazette. Mikautadze scored 17 goals and registered 11 assists across 47 appearances in all competitions, with many of those coming from the bench.

In addition to demonstrating impressive output in the final third during his time in France, the 24-year-old has shown his versatility. The Georgian has played centrally, on the left flank and even in a more reserved role as a second striker for Lyon. This versatility, combined with a notable knack for making things happen in the final third, could make him an interesting proposition for many clubs looking for a new striker this summer.

Lucas Perri

Lucas Perri (27) arrived at the Groupama Stadium from Lyon’s sister club, Botafogo, as a relatively unknown quantity. The 27-year-old goalkeeper had never played outside of his homeland of Brazil and was immediately earmarked as the successor to long-term goalkeeper and academy graduate Anthony Lopes.

Arriving in January 2024, the Brazilian was offered opportunities to impress in the Coupe de France, which he did with his heroics in a penalty shootout against Strasbourg, before replacing Lopes as the first-choice stopper at the beginning of the 2024/25 season.

Upon assuming the role of number one, Perri continued to be successful. The goalkeeper ranked third for clean sheets in Ligue 1 last season, with ten, and produced some important saves, including two against Nice to secure an important three points. Entering the prime of his career, Perri could provide several clubs looking for upgrades in their goalkeeping department with a reliable option.

GFFN | Liam Wraith