Liverpool, Real Madrid serious candidates in hunt for exit-bound Lyon star
Liverpool and Real Madrid have emerged as serious candidates in the race to sign Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, according to reports.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas admitted earlier this month that he could struggle to keep the club’s best players, with his side denied the chance to pursue European football when the Ligue 1 season was voided.
Among them will be Aouar, who is considered to be one of Lyon’s best talents and has also been linked with Arsenal, as well as Chelsea-linked striker Moussa Dembele.
According to Corrierre dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Juventus were said to be leading the chase for Frenchman Aouar but his steep price tag – likely to be around €50million – means they had instead offered a two-year loan with an obligation to buy.
However, Lyon are unlikely to accept such an offer and the report claims that Liverpool and Madrid are now the “main protagonists” in the Serie A champions’ hunt.
Aouar, who was promoted from Lyon’s academy in the summer of 2016, has scored nine goals and assisted seven others in 37 appearances this season.
Aulas has been openly critical of the joint decision by the Professional Football League (LFP) and the French Football Federation (FFF) to end the season, with Lyon finishing seventh.
Indeed, Lyon – as well as relegated clubs Amiens and Toulouse appealed to a Paris administrative court but have had their claims thrown out.
Instead, Lyon will now take their appeal to France’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, in a bid to get the decision reversed.
In other news, reported Liverpool strike target Jonathan David is being linked with a move to LaLiga.