Lyon must be fuming. When, during the summer transfer window, they failed to panic over Rachid Ghezzal, it was largely because they assumed a renewal was around the corner.
With his contract ending in June, Lyon were happy to listen to an approach from Everton, but the player wasn’t interested at the time, giving the French club an indication a renewal would happen.
He continued: “Everton made an exceptional offer financially (in the summer), but it wasn’t as good on a sport level. Rachid has his head in the right place, he’s aware, and we need to know what’s best for him football wise.”
Now, another Ghezzal brother, Kader, has been speaking to RMC: “For now, nothing has been decided. Everything is on stand-by. I would be lying to say we did have deals or interested clubs. Today, he has no agreement.”
Available on a free next June, whether Ghezzal is as concerned about sporting guarantees and sport level as he says he is, is in the eye of the beholder. That he’s still not renewed makes an Everton move more likely, especially given the club’s reasonable start to the season under Ronald Koeman.
Should that offer be pushed forward again, and Lyon not quickly give in to the demands clearly being placed in front of them, there’s a greater chance of success in the winter. That is unless Ghezzal and family are waiting until the summer, when he’ll be a free agent, and able to get those ‘sporting guarantees’.
