According to a recent report by Footmercato, Olympique Lyonnais president Jean-Michel Aulas has hinted that the club could be open to listening to offers for their French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele in the summer. In a recent interview (translated by Football.London), Mr. Aulas said, “We do not need to sell to live well, the results show that € 54m in operating profit over one semester is colossal,”
“It’s more than most other clubs, but also companies. We also know that we will be attacked.
“Who says strong valuation says that there will be appetites of very rich clubs for our players. Even if we have a lot of requests, we will not let our numbers go because we want to progress on the sporting side.
“We want to win titles in France now, we want to go as high as possible in the hierarchy of European clubs so we must be in good economic health, but also have talent.
“We will not let go this summer one or maybe two players. As we have demands on half of the workforce, that means that there will be more disappointed than happy elected.”
Some reports in France have also suggested that Spurs are being linked with a move for the Ligue 1 prospect but will face stiff competition from Manchester City and Manchester United in pursuit of the Lyon ace, with offers expected to start at £50m.
This recent development will be a massive boost for Mauricio Pochettino’s chances of landing the player. The Argentine manager is still on the lookout for a long-term replacement for Moussa Dembele, who left the North London club in January, and Ndombele fits the bill perfectly.
The 22-year-old midfielder has made 37 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants this term, scoring two goals while providing six assists in all competitions. Even at such a tender age, the Longjumeau born wonderkid has already managed to secure four international caps for the French national team so far and could play a significant part for his nation in the coming years.
Ndombele boasts blistering pace and is a powerful dribbler with the ball at his feet. He can also open up any defence with his passing and knows how to breakdown the opposition attacks. The French talent is a complete midfielder who has the potential to become one of the best players in his position.
Spurs will do well to prise him away from Lyon, but it won’t be easy as they might have to deal with some intense competition in their efforts to bring the French starlet to White Hart Lane. Overall, it is safe to assume that Lyon’s inclination to do business will be a massive boost for Tottenham and their ambitions of acquiring Ndombele in the summer.
