By Declan Walsh

8th Jun, 2023 | 7:10am

Moussa Dembele exits Lyon amid Everton free transfer development

Lyon have confirmed Moussa Dembele’s exit with The Mirror reporting Everton are among the clubs interested in signing the French striker.

It was confirmed by Lyon on Wednesday (7 June) that Dembele, 26, has left the Groupama Stadium after five years, meaning he’s now available as a free agent.

The Mirror reported via their live transfer blog (05:04pm) that Dembele is now a wanted man with the Blues in the hunt for the former Celtic striker’s signature.

Risky

Dembele ticks a lot of boxes on paper.

He’s 26 now and will be 27 by the time the 2023/24 Premier League season starts, which means that he’s at a peak age and could offer Everton plenty of years of service.

He’s a free agent, which helps Everton complete a signing without taking as big of a financial hit as they would from signing a player from a club.

He’s scored a lot of goals and won a lot of trophies in his career, too.

At Lyon, he scored 70 times in 172 games while a loan spell at Atletico Madrid in 2020/21 saw him play a role in a La Liga-winning side.

During his time at Celtic, Dembele scored 51 goals in 94 games, winning two domestic trebles.

Basically, he looks the complete package for the Toffees but his record this season of just three goals in 23 Ligue 1 games, coupled with injury and fitness problems, leads to question marks.

We would happily take Dembele but at the same time, we wouldn’t be shocked if he ends up being another Neal Maupay.