Reports | Chelsea fail with £34 million bid for Moussa Dembele
With their transfer ban lifted, Chelsea have had a £34 million bid for Olympique Lyon striker Moussa Dembele rejected. The Blues are looking to give Tammy Abraham some back-up and believe that Dembele is the ideal option with Manchester United and Arsenal also interested in a winter move.
The Olympique Lyon star has been in fine form since his move from Celtic in the summer of 2018 and has already scored 30 goals in 70 appearances. That includes 15 in the Ligue 1 last season with Dembele on par to beat that record with 10 in 18 appearances this season already. However, that form combined with the fact that the Lyon striker is just 23 years old has seen English sides overly keen on making him a part of their teams.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have all been linked over the last few months but Sky Sports has reported that the Blues have reportedly had a £34 million bid rejected. The report added that the Blues were willing to pay up to £34 million for the 23-year-old Frenchman as manager Frank Lampard believes that he sees a little bit of Chelsea legend Drogba in Dembele.
However, in a statement released by Olympique Lyon, the club went on to admit that they will not let the Frenchman leave the club in the winter window after rejecting moves for the striker over the summer as well. It also added that they look to keep Dembele for the near future with the 23-year-old set to be a large part of the club’s plan to outdo PSG to a potential Ligue 1 title.
“Olympique Lyonnais has taken note of certain information relayed by the media suggesting that Moussa Dembele could interest other clubs during this transfer window. We would like to reaffirm its wish, as in the summer of 2019, to keep Moussa Dembele. The club has full confidence in Moussa and counts in particular on him to build a successful team for the seasons to come,” revealed the statement.