Everton offered Moussa Dembele, Lyon ready to cut losses on £19m ex-Celtic striker
Lyon striker Moussa Dembele has been offered to Everton this month, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported via their print edition on Wednesday (18 January, page 65) that Dembele, 26, is out of contract this summer and the Toffees have now been handed an opportunity to sign him in January.
The Daily Mail added on their website (18 January) that the former Celtic and Fulham centre-forward “has found himself increasingly out of favour at Lyon this season”.
It is understood that he’s unlikely to be offered a new contract so Lyon are now looking to cut their losses and recoup some of the £19million they paid for the Frenchman when he arrived from Celtic in 2018.
Journalist Simon Jones adds: “With the Frenchman having played some of the best football of his career to date in the UK, it could be that a return brings about a return to his best. “
Low-cost risk?
Dembele has proven that he can score goals in the UK with Celtic, in France with Lyon and in European competitions with both of them.
While Everton don’t need to find themselves a proven goalscorer for European competitions, they do need to find someone who can just go out there and stick the ball in the back of the net.
Dembele’s track record has proven he can do that.
He scored 19 goals in 64 appearances at Fulham, 51 goals in 94 appearances at Celtic and 69 goals in 159 appearances at Lyon.
The former France Under-21 international has been able to score against some big clubs too with four goals in three outings versus Manchester City, three goals against PSG and in Scotland, he scored seven times in 10 Old Firm meetings with Rangers.
If Everton can get Dembele on a free and allow him to rediscover the form that saw him light up the goalscoring charts in Scotland and in his early years at Lyon, he’d be a great signing.