‘I will be in Lyon next season’ - Man Utd target Dembele rules out exit from Ligue 1 side

Moussa Demebele has ruled out a move away from Lyon this summer, amid speculation that several of Europe’s top clubs are interested in acquiring him.

The attacker, currently representing France at the European Under-21 Championships in Italy, was reportedly a transfer target for Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.

However, with rumours that for the second in year in a row Dembele could be on the move, the 22-year-old has insisted he has no plans to leave Lyon this summer.

“I still have four years left of my contract. I will be in Lyon next season” Dembele said, as per football.london, when asked about the possibility of departing the Ligue 1 side in the coming weeks and months.

The striker only joined Lyon last season and enjoyed a superb maiden campaign with the club. He bagged an impressive 15 goals in 33 league appearances for Les Gones, as they finished third in the table. Overall in his first season in Ligue 1, Dembele scored 20 goals from 46 games.

Previously, the clinical frontman played for Celtic, whom he netted 51 goals for in just 94 games. During his time in Glasgow, Dembele won six trophies in two seasons and finished as the club’s top scorer in the 2016-17 campaign.

Prior to that, Dembele also spent four years at Fulham, where he broke into the first-team at the age of just 17. Following the club’s relegation to the Championship in 2014, the Frenchman found more regular game time with the Cottagers and eventually scored 19 goals for the London outfit.

It’s not just at club level where the Pontoise-born forward has shone, he is also now standing out on the international stage.

Dembele was on target again in his last outing, during France U21’s 1-0 victory against Croatia U21s on Friday evening.

However, the Lyon No.9 was slightly less fortunate during Les Bleus opener against England, when Dembele missed a first-half penalty.

Two wins from the opening two games mean France need just a point against Romania in the final group game to qualify for the semi-final stage of the underage tournament.