Following a very disappointing league campaign last season by their standards, Lyon are determined to turn things around, with a few players expected to leave this summer.
Among those is Bertrand Traoré, a 24-year-old winger who knows England well from his time at Chelsea, where he played before moving to the French club in 2017 for £9m.
His availability on the transfer market hasn’t gone unnoticed on this side of the Channel, as Foot Mercato in France claim Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle, Everton and Crystal Palace are all interested in his services.
Each club’s desire to sign him at this stage differs somewhat, with one club in particular already making the first move: the Cottagers.
According to the French website, Scott Parker’s side have presented Lyon with a first ‘firm bid’ for the Burkina Faso international, but it was ‘very far’ from what the Ligue 1 club are expecting, which is €25m.
As for the rest, meaning Newcastle, Everton and Crystal Palace, they are described as ‘on the prowl’ but also ‘preferring to give themselves time’, seemingly in no rush to make a move for the player, although that could change for the Eagles should Wilfried Zaha move elsewhere.
Down the player’s end, Foot Mercato explain Traoré is ‘patiently waiting’ for the situation to develop and keeps training as usual with Lyon.
Aware he doesn’t fit into Rudi Garcia’s tactical plans, the winger ‘see his future more and more away from the Groupama Stadium, with a hopeful landing spot on the other side of the Channel’.
With five clubs interested, there’s a good chance of that happening, but a lot could end up depending on whether or not Lyon decide to lower their asking price, because clubs such as Everton (who are already spending a bunch of money on their midfield) and Newcastle (not exactly flowing with spare cash) might not be willing to go too high when it comes to a player of Traoré’s ilk.
