A whole host of Lyon’s prized possessions will be in the shop window, following the club’s demotion to Ligue 2 amid financial ruin. Among those is likely to be one of Lyon’s more experienced players, with the latest Corentin Tolisso transfer news revealing interest from Serie A.
Lyon Players Expected to Be Sold to Balance the Books
Lyon’s relegation to Ligue 2 was confirmed this week, and in doing so, one of France’s most illustrious soccer institutions falls by the wayside.
Having been provisionally demoted back in November, the seven-time Ligue 1 winners were given until the end of the season to prove their financial health.
Lyon set in motion a mid-season exodus to remedy their debts, offloading Saïd Benrahma, Anthony Lopes and Maxence Caqueret in January, before letting go of Rayan Cherki to Manchester City this summer.
However, officials have ruled that Les Gones have failed to prove their financial suitability to compete in the French top-flight, failing to recover from debts of nearly $500 million, announced by the club’s Textor’s Eagle Football Group.
The likes of Alexandre Lacazette — who is being tracked by Lazio — Moussa Niakhaté, Lucas Perri and promising 20-year-old Malick Fofana are all expected to be sold in order to remedy the dire financial situation.
Corentin Tolisso Transfer News
Among the mass evacuation, the vastly experienced Corentin Tolisso, who is one of Lyon’s top earners, is expected to leave in search of top-flight soccer.
The Lyon youth academy product returned to the club in 2022 after a five-year stint at Bayern Munich, and in his formative years carried a reputation for being one of Europe’s most promising midfielders.
He has proved to be a smooth operator for both Bayern and Lyon, although several long-term injuries somewhat hampered his development.
Having been fiercely loyal to his boyhood club, their demotion to Ligue 2 is likely to come as a stinging blow to Tolisso. However, at such an important juncture as he approaches the latter part of his career, he will want to maximize his dwindling capacity for elite soccer.
Sources close to FootItalia have been informed that plenty of Europe’s top clubs are monitoring his situation with interest, including Inter Milan.
The Nerazzurri could find themselves short of midfield options; Hakan Calhanoglu has linked with a move to his native Turkey, Henrikh Mkhitaryan has flirted with retirement next year, while Davide Frattesi’s future remains up in air as Juventus express their interest.
The astute signing of Petar Sucic, who earned rave reviews off the bench against River Plate at the Club World Cup, has been a welcomed addition, but new manager Cristian Chivu is eager for more reinforcements.
Tolisso, who could be available at a cut-price as clubs look to take advantage of Lyon’s vulnerable position, fits into Inter’s purse-tightening mantra.
Sources are confident a deal could be stuck for as little as $15 million, with Inter throwing their hat in the ring early.
Inter Milan are still ahead of champions Napoli in early estimations from the best betting apps, and shrewd business such as this should go some way to helping reclaim the Scudetto.
