Lyon don’t need Chelsea’s money, aren’t selling Moussa Dembélé

In the latest Deloitte Money League, Olympique Lyonnais have risen to 17th place in the ranking of the world’s biggest clubs by revenue (Chelsea are 9th), which is just one of the reasons they are not desperate to cash in on their prized striker, Moussa Dembélé.

The other big reason is, of course, competitive. There’s also the reason of Lyon president Jean-Michael Aulas just being a shrewd/annoying negotiator (cross out as per personal preference), but as he made it quite clear in an interview with RMC, he’s not selling the 23-year-old this January.

“Yes, absolutely [he’s going to stay]. We haven’t changed our minds. Moussa is an excellent player, who needs us. We are careful not to come and compete with him on his position. It’s not a question of money. Moussa will be ours. We will make sure that he is put in the best conditions so that he scores as many goals as possible.”

Assuming anyone can take Aulas at this word, it sure sounds like he’s rolling out the proverbial red carpet for Dembélé, matching his intentions to keep the player with an intention to keep him happy. Well, isn’t that just nice.

“For Moussa and others, we are in great demand. This means that we have very good players in Lyon. We will try to find complements to the current situation. Depending on what will happen, we will discuss with players. And we will take positions that are in line with what the players want but also the institution.”

-Jean-Michael Aulas; source: RMC via Google Translate

It’s unclear how many more times Aulas and Lyon will have to deny this rumor, but we still have a little over two weeks to go in the winter transfer window so...