Lyon are trapped in a desperate summer transfer window, struggling to stay afloat financially.
The main issue remains: who will replace first-choice goalkeeper Lucas Perri after his departure? It won’t be 31-year-old Matt Turner, that’s clear.
The American goalkeeper was actually rejected before Jean-Michel Aulas lost his power. The new management has yet to finalize the deal with Nottingham Forest (Evangelos Marinakis’ club), especially considering Aulas’ relationship with the Greek shipowner.
Lyon will have to pay €8 million to sign a three-year contract with a player they don’t want. But at least they immediately loaned him to MLS side New England Revolution for a year, with the Revolution covering the goalkeeper’s full salary.
For a club that has "cut wages by over 50%" (in the words of Louis Jean) and has the seventh-highest budget in Ligue 1, €8 million is no small amount.
"At least for now, the era of big-money signings is over," sighed Louis Jean.
For Pierre Lees-Melou, Lyon were forced to put the deal on hold after increasing their offer to Brest to €5.5 million, as the asking price was too high.
Similarly, the deal for Tyler Morton is progressing, but only if funds are available (Liverpool are asking €9 million for the England U21 international).
Finally, Malick Fofana remains a major uncertainty. His departure would be a huge loss for the club, but also a way to temporarily ease the current financial crisis.
"We’ve committed to selling a certain number of players. But it’s uncertain if it will be Malick," Louis Jean admitted to the media. "The thing with him is that he’s a good player, so obviously we’ll get offers now, tomorrow, in six months, in a year. Then we’ll decide based on the offers we receive.
We’ve signed a clear budget-cutting agreement with the DNCG, so the names of the players don’t matter to me. What matters is having the most competitive team possible at the start of the season."
