Lyon Rule out Moussa Dembele Transfer Amid Manchester United, Chelsea Rumours

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has made it clear the club will not entertain offers for star forward Moussa Dembele this month. 

The striker is one of the top goalscorers in French football and has been regularly linked with a move away from Lyon. Both Manchester United and Chelsea have been noted as possible suitors.

If Lyon were to lose the striker it would be a big blow to their campaign, but Aulas has said there's no chance of the Ligue 1 giants entertaining any offer for the former Celtic sharpshooter, per RMC (h/t Alex Richards of the Daily Mirror).

"We have not changed our minds. We already made this issue clear in August. Moussa is an excellent player. A player who we need. 

"We are taking explicit measures in our recruitment to not bring someone in who will compete for his position. It is not a question of money. Moussa will be with us."

According to Sky Sports News, Chelsea have already lodged an offer of £34 million for the striker in this window, although that bid was rejected by Lyon.

Sky Sports also reported that United want to sign a striker this month, and Dembele is on their list of targets. The Red Devils are said to be interested in Wolverhampton Wanderers star Raul Jimenez too.

The Lyon man has been one of the standout performers for an inconsistent team this term, netting 11 Ligue 1 goals, including two in his last two games. The most recent was this winner in the clash against Bordeaux:

Per OptaJean, the striker has settled well to life at Groupama Stadium:

Having shone at Celtic, Dembele moved to Lyon in the summer of 2018 and found the step up relatively straightforward.

Although there are still areas of his game where improvement is required, Dembele is a natural goalscorer, scoring 15 times in the top flight last term. 

Dembele comes alive when the ball is in the penalty area:

All indications are that he'll be at Lyon as he continues to make improvements, with Aulas adamant the France youth international won't be on the move. After selling the likes of Nabil Fekir and Tanguy Ndombele in the summer, they won't be under major pressure to cash in on any more assets.

Lyon would miss the striker's goalscoring instincts. They are currently down in seventh place in the French top flight but just four points back on Rennes in third.