Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that stars Houssem Aouar and Memphis Depay will remain at the French club this summer, killing rumours of possible transfers to the Premier League and Barcelona respectively.
The duo have been heavily linked with moves away from the Ligue 1 side this summer, having impressed over the course of the 2019/20 campaign and the delayed Champions League competition in August.
However, Lyon's self-imposed Friday deadline for club's to sign their star duo has passed, with Aulas now sticking to his guns and stating the pair are saying.
Both Depay and Aouar's futures seemed certain to lie away from Lyon, after they failed to secure European football for the coming season, but that all changed on Saturday afternoon. Get French Football News reports the French club have told RMC Sport that neither player will be sold in the summer transfer window, ending any speculation ahead of the approaching deadline.
Aouar thrust himself into the spotlight with his dominant performances in the Champions League this season, attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs, with Arsenal and Manchester City the most strongly linked with a big-money move for the Frenchman.
The midfielder demonstrated his expertise against the Cityzens, helping to knock them out of the European competition at the quarter-final stage, and it was a performance that confirmed he was capable of thriving in the Premier League. Our hopes of seeing him in England will have to be put on hold for the time being, then.
Depay has continued to rebuild his reputation following his disappointing stint with Manchester United from 2015 to 2017. The 26-year-old made a lightning start to the 2019/20 season, scoring nine goals in 13 games, but a serious knee injury ended his hopes of featuring in Ligue 1 again.
However, he recovered from this setback to lead Lyon to the brink of European glory, only to be knocked out by Bayern Munich in the semi-finals. His exploits caught the attention of Europe's elite though, including an old boss of Depay's.
The Dutchman looked destined to join former Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman at Barcelona, and the player had already agreed personal terms with the Catalan giants, while the two clubs haggled over the price tag.
Both deals are dead in the water if Aulas' latest announcement is to be believed, however, and their dreams of signing for two of Europe's biggest clubs have been put on ice... for now.
Source : 90min