Lyon
Arsenal launch transfer bid for Lyon star Houssem Aouar
Arsenal have reportedly made an offer to Ligue 1 outfit Lyon for midfielder Houssem Aouar following a drop in the asking price for the player. According to Le 10 Sport, Aouar could cost the Gunners under a third of the £54 million fee club officials hoped to get in 2020. The 23-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates before the start of the 2020-21 season. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is thought to be keen on the versatile attacker who can play centrally or on the wing. In September reports in France claimed Lyon had turned their noses up at two separate bids from the North London giants of £31m and £34.5m. However, Le 10 Sport says the Gunners have returned with a fresh offer for the midfielder whose current contract with the French outfit runs out in 2023. And it is tho...
French giants enter race to sign long-term Arsenal target valued at just £7m – report
Lyon have entered the race to sign Arsenal target Andre Onana this summer, French publication L’Equipe claims. Onana has entered the final year of his Ajax contract, and he has shown no intention of penning a new extension. His FIFA-imposed ban was recently reduced from 12 to nine months, but he won’t be eligible to play until November. However, he can return to team training from the start of September, and the Gunners are one of the clubs interested. They have yet to make a formal approach, and it is now reported that manager Peter Bosz is keen on a reunion with Onana. Bosz, who was previously with Ajax, was appointed as the new head coach of Lyon in May. Sportslens view: Earlier this year, it appeared that the Gunners were in pole position to sign the Cameroonian valued at £7 million. H...
Antoine Griezmann: Karim Benzema will end goal drought soon
Karim Benzema needs just one goal to get up and running for France again, says team-mate Antoine Griezmann. The striker approached Euro 2020 off the back of an excellent season at Real Madrid, having scored 30 goals in 46 matches, but Benzema is yet to find the net since making his return to the France squad after a six-year absence. Griezmann is confident the 33-year-old will start scoring regularly for Les Bleus before long, insisting he just needs one to get him going. “I think each attacker wants to score the first goal and the quicker he does that, the better it is for everybody,” Griezmann said at a press conference. “As soon as Karim gets one in the net, that will help him. We just need to be patient and remain confident. “You know me, I feel a lot better in the centre, I feel a lot...
Arsenal ready to bid for 22-year-old after £35m price slashed down – report
Arsenal are ready to bid for Houssem Aouar once again this summer, but they have a good chance of snapping him up this time. The Gunners registered an interest in signing the 22-year-old midfielder, and they backed off after Lyon demanded £55 million. The Ligue 1 club failed to qualify for the Champions League last season, and Aouar could be available for only £20m – a £35m drop from last summer’s valuation. The figure is well within Arsenal’s price range, and they are confident of sealing a deal for him this time around. According to reports from The Sun, the Gunners are readying a contract worth £100k-a-week to lure the midfielder to the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta signed a midfielder on deadline day last summer, with Thomas Partey joining the club for £45m fr...
Barcelona transfer target has chance to shine in relatively easy Euro 2020 group
With the European Championships just days away, we’re having a look at the best players to watch from each nation. Perhaps the least glamorous group of the tournament is Group C. A faltering Netherlands side will be the headline act, while Ukraine, Austria, and North Macedonia will be there to cause an upset. While the superstar power might not quite be there, the group is wide open, with plenty of underdog potential. It should be an interesting watch. Austria – Sasa Kalajdzic Kalajdzic will be Austria’s main source of goals The Austrian squad has a strong Bundesliga contingent, and Sasa Kalajdzic is a part of that. The 23-year-old has just enjoyed the best season of his career, netting 17 in all competitions for a mid-table Stuttgart side. On top of this, he has been in good form on the i...
Liverpool, Sevilla join Paul Onuachu chase
Premier League giants Liverpool have joined the chase for Genk forward Paul Onuachu, reports Completesports.com. Onuachu, 26, Onuachu scored 35 goals and recorded another five assists in 41 games across all competitions for Genk this season. Sport Witness cite Fichajes as claiming that Liverpool and RB Leipzig will be Sevilla’s rivals in the race for the Nigeria international. Sevilla have also been linked with a move for the Nigeria international as clubs begin to gear up for activities in the summer transfer window. Italian side Lazio, Scottish giants Celtic, and French club Lyon are long-time admirers of Onuachu of the forward. The striker was on Monday named in Belgian Pro League Team of the Season. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looki...
Lille win French Ligue 1 title for fourth time
Lille won the Ligue 1 title on Sunday thanks to a 2-1 victory over Angers which ensured they were crowned French champions for the first time since 2011. An early Jonathan David strike and Burak Yilmaz’s penalty in first-half stoppage time ensured that Christophe Galtier’s Lille finished one point ahead of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain, who won 2-0 at Brest. Angelo Fulgini pulled one back in added time at the end of the match, but the hosts couldn’t stop Lille becoming champions for the fourth time in their history. The title triumph came after another away success for Lille, who finish the season unbeaten on the road since November, and ends a three-year league winning streak for PSG. Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG will have to content themselves with the French Cup in a disappointing seas...
Barcelona close to signing €45m-rated star with 31 goal contributions – report
Lyon forward Memphis Depay is close to joining Barcelona on a free transfer this summer, a report from L’Equipe claims. The Dutchman was on Blaugrana’s radar during last summer’s transfer window, but a deal failed to materialise as they could not meet the transfer demands. Depay has had another fine season for Les Gones with 21 goals and 10 assists from 38 appearances, but they could still miss out on Champions League football. Even if they make the top three, the 27-year-old has no desire to sign a new contract beyond June, and he now appears on the cusp of joining the Catalan giants. It is reported that Ronald Koeman’s side only have minor details to settle before the free transfer of the Netherlands international is finalised. Sportslens view: Depay has been constantly linked with the B...
Report: Barcelona open to selling Antoine Griezmann for the right price
Italian Sky Sports journalist Matteo Moretto has proclaimed that Barcelona are willing to sell French superstar Antoine Griezmann in the summer if they were to receive an adequate offer, in order to try and ease the pressure on their accounts. After a far from optimal start to his stint in Garnet and Blue, Griezmann has largely managed to turn his fortunes around. He has established himself as a very useful asset for Barcelona, and proved to be an instrumental part of the Catalans’ Copa del Rey triumph. However, despite his turn of form, there has been constant speculation regarding Antoine Griezmann’s departure from Barcelona. Considering the massive cost of his transfer from Atletico Madrid two seasons ago and his high wages, the club might be open to a sale in the summer. The upcoming t...
Memphis Depay will join Barcelona this summer on one condition
Memphis Depay has agreed to join Barcelona this summer if they can meet one condition. Depay has been one of Lyon’s main men since signing from Manchester United in January 2017. In his first full season in Ligue 1, he was the league’s joint-third top goalscorer with 19 – a tally beaten only by Edinson Cavani and Florian Thauvin. Depay has been excellent for Lyon The forward suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December 2019 which put him out for the season, but he has bounced back from this and returned to his best form. This term, he has 19 goals and 10 assists in the league, making him one of only nine players from Europe’s top five leagues to hit double figures in both categories. Depay was one of Ronald Koeman’s main transfer targets when he first arrived at Barcelona. How...
Celtic finally set for windfall as Arsenal reportedly eye £25m 51-goal hitman
Arsenal are weighing up a move for Lyon striker Moussa Dembele ahead of the summer transfer window, according to Telegraph Sports. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is looking to strengthen his attack, and while it appears that he has missed out on Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard, another Frenchman and former Hoops star is now on his radar. Dembele is currently on loan at Atletico Madrid, but he has not scored or assisted in six appearances across the La Liga and Champions League. Injury and fitness issues have hindered the 25-year-old from impressing, and whether Diego Simeone’s side will be keen to activate the option to buy him for around £30 million remains to be seen. Dembele’s form has not stopped Arsenal from casting glances at him, though, and he is available for £25 million this summer. Celtic a...
Ligue 1 POTY: Who deserves to win player of the year for 2020/21?
The nominees for Ligue 1 player of the season have been announced, with Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, AS Monaco and Lyon players all involved. While the Ligue 1 title race is yet to reach its conclusion, Lille remain three points ahead of Paris Saint-Germain with just two games remaining. The latter do have a significantly improved goal difference, so any slip up from Christophe Galtier’s side could change everything. Who are the nominees Neymar (PSG) Kylian Mbappe (PSG) Memphis Depay (Lyon) Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco) Burak Yilmaz (Lille) Neymar Starting with Brazilian star Neymar, it is quite frankly a surprise to see him on this list. Neymar has only featured in 16 Ligue 1 matches this season, due to being injured for the vast majority of the campaign. Despite scoring eight goals and ...
