Lyon Rule out Houssem Aouar Sale amid Liverpool and Barcelona Transfer Rumours

Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas has said there is no chance of the club selling star midfielder Houssem Aouar in the January transfer window.

The 20-year-old has made rapid progress in recent years and is now shining in the Ligue 1 side's first team on a regular basis. When asked about speculation linking Aouar with a transfer by RMC Sport (h/t James Westwood of Goal), Aulas was adamant the youngster won't be going anywhere:

"The door is totally closed for our most successful hope, who has come from the academy. I think he is the future of Lyon.

"There will be very few departures this winter. We are not planning to let the world go this summer, we want to keep our players. The potential buyers will have to be convincing, they will have to have the right arguments and I do not see many of them at the moment."

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Per French football journalist Jeremy Smith, when the player himself was quizzed on his long-term future, he was a lot more diplomatic:

It was reported by Goal's Julien Quelen in the summer that while Lyon were seeking to secure a contract extension for the midfielder—he eventually agreed a new deal until 2023 in July—there was interest in him from the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona.

Recently, Aouar has been attracting interest from Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola too, with the coach praising the player after his side drew 2-2 with Lyon in the UEFA Champions League.

"He's always very calm with the ball at his feet, with an excellent technical quality," the City boss said after describing Aouar as "incredible," per BBC Sport.

In addition, the Lyon man has said he would like to work with the City boss in the future:

It's not a big surprise that Aouar has received such high-profile focus—he's one of the most exciting midfield prospects in European football.

For Lyon, he's been used in many different roles, whether that be in a deep midfield berth, pushed forward behind a striker or out on the left flank. Regardless, Aouar's intelligence, technical ability and care in possession allow him to influence games regularly.

French football journalist Matt Spiro can see why he's so admired and compared him to one of the all-time great midfielders:

Aouar still has a long way to go in his career before he scales the same heights as someone like Andres Iniesta, and he's got plenty of developing to do as a footballer. With that in mind, staying at Lyon and playing regular games makes sense—he has five goals and four assists this season.

Provided his career continues on an upward trajectory, interest from juggernauts of European football will always be there.