French Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyon are keen on strengthening their squad in the January transfer window with the transfer ban placed on them due to administrative issues expected to be lifted soon.
The former French Ligue 1 champions are placed 18th on the 18 team log in the league after a poor start to the season which has seen them lose nine out of the 15 games they have played this season, leaving them with just ten points after four draws and two wins.
According to L’ÉQUIPE, Olympique Lyonnais will finally receive an update from the DNCG, the National Directorate of Management Control, regarding whether their payroll and transfer control measures from last July will be lifted for the Winter transfer window.
An audition between Lyon and the DNCG was held at the Professional Football League headquarters, with both parties reportedly satisfied by the outcome, though a few details remained to be dealt with, specifically regarding missing documents for a “stay of proceedings“, still according to L’ÉQUIPE.
Lyon will be hoping for a positive outcome, as the club is looking to invest heavily during the transfer period, after not having been able to do so during the Summer, opting instead for low-fee transfers and loans to strengthen their squad. If the claims are lifted, they will be able to tap into the €100 million or so that they collected during the summer, notably through the sales of Bradley Barcola and Castello Lukeba to PSG and RB Leipzig respectively.
Rather than wait till the summer to seal a deal to sign one of the vice captain of the senior national team of Nigeria in Moses Simon, they are keen on testing the resolve of Nantes with a bid in January.
Simon who will be out of contract next summer is a free transfer target for lot of clubs in France and also in Germany, Italy and Spain. He is also courting interest from Saudi Arabia.
However only Lyon appear to be keen on testing the waters with a bid in January for the 28 year old for the winger, who has a total of 25 goals and 27 assists in 138 Ligue 1 games for Nantes since his move five years ago.
Daniel Martins
