Lyon sporting director Juninho Pernambucano has stated that interest in Houssem Aouar from clubs like Juventus is only "normal" but insists he remains a "fundamental" part of the French club.
The Lyon-born midfielder of Algerian descent has seen his stock rise since making his debut for Les Gones in 2017.
He has made 133 appearances, scored 24 goals and provided another 24 assists.
The 2018-19 season was his most productive with seven goals and 11 assists in 47 competitive outings.
For the ongoing season, Aouar has made 37 appearances, 25 of them in Ligue 1 which was halted after 28 matchdays because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Aouar - who is valued at €50 million - is of interest to Juventus who, according to Corriere dello Sport, want him on a two-year loan.
"Houssem is clearly the most sought after player of our team, but he still has a contract with us and is a fundamental part of Lyon," Juninho told TuttoJuve.
"He is young and has already reached a very high level. I think it is normal for a club like Juventus to be among the top clubs in the world and always looking for the best for its squad."
Juventus are not the only club looking to secure Aouar's services, with French giants PSG as well as English heavyweights Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all rumoured to be monitoring the 21-year-old.
Losing Aouar - who is tied at the Groupama Stadium until 2023 - would be a big blow for Lyon as they could miss out on European football next season after finishing seventh in Ligue 1.
The seven-time French champions are, however still involved in the Champions League, with a 1-0 first leg Round of 16 lead over Juve, courtesy of Lucas Tousart, Aouar providing the assist.
Should Aouar depart, he will join an illustrious list of African players to leave Lyon for greener pastures.
These include Ghana midfielder Michael Essien who moved to Chelsea in 2005 for £24.4 million, where he won nine titles including the Champions League.
Retired Mali midfielder Mahamadou Diarra was another Lyon player who joined Real Madrid in a deal worth £22 million in 2006 and won back-to-back La Liga titles.
