Depay will play for Lyon in cup final and Champions League but long-term future is uncertain, admits Aulas

Lyon star Memphis Depay’s future continues to be unclear, but club president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that the Netherlands international will be available for the Coupe de la Ligue final against Paris Saint-Germain and their Champions League clash with Juventus.

The former Manchester United man’s contract is up in a year, but the prospect of Lyon being able to retain him appear slim.

Coming off the back of a serious injury and combined with the coronavirus crisis, however, Lyon may struggle to hold out for the return they might have wished for the player at the start of the year.

Despite this, Aulas knows that it will be complicated to retain the player, who has scored 14 times in 18 appearances including five in five in the Champions League, beyond the end of the summer transfer window.

“He will play in the finals that await us,” the president told Le Progres, also including the Champions League Juve – a match in which Lyon hold a 1-0 advantage thanks to their first-leg victory in France. “Unhappily, the international transfer window will last until October 13, so we’ve got until then to pick our players.”

Meanwhile, it appears highly unlikely that Lyon will be back in Europe next season, with the Rhone side required to win the Champions League if they are to play on the continent.

With that in mind, they are already looking at cutting down their numbers, with talented teenager Amine Gouiri set to switch to Patrick Vieira’s Nice while midfielder Lucas Tousart, who scored against Juve, has departed to Hertha Berlin.

“There will be departures and we’re going to have to make choices because we’ve already got more than 30 players,” Aulas send. “We’ll have to let some go, loan others, and we’re going to have to find compromises to have a good team.

“Coming out of such a crisis, you have to aim for the top places. I’m not saying the title, but why not?”

OL finished last season in seventh place in Ligue 1, a distant 10 points behind Rennes, who claimed the final Champions League berth.