Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has “explicitly” ruled out selling Moussa Dembele in the January transfer window.
Chelsea have expressed an interest in the former Fulham and Celtic striker, who has scored 14 goals in 19 Ligue 1 appearances this season.
However, Lyon are already without Memphis Depay and Jeff Reine-Adelaide until the end of the season due to injury, and Aulas insists that the club will not be selling Dembele this month.
Speaking on RMC, he said: “We have not changed our minds. We already made this issue clear in August.
“Moussa is an excellent player. A player who we need.
“We are taking explicit measures in our recruitment to not bring someone in who will compete for his position. It is not a question of money. Moussa will be with us.”
A number of Premier League clubs have scouted the 23-year-old this season, with Chelsea identifying him as one of their leading options to provide competition to Tammy Abraham.
RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner is another option for Frank Lampard’s side, with the Germany international scoring 18 goals in 17 Bundesliga appearances this season, however, he is also unavailable in January.
