Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham have both been handed a blow in their hopes of signing Lyon striker Moussa Dembele in January.
The French striker, formerly of Fulham and Celtic, had been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League, with all three London clubs reportedly interested in acquiring his services.
Chelsea are seeking extra competition in attack for Tammy Abraham this month, with Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi linked away from the club.
Arsenal, by contrast, are well stocked up front, but fear they may lose star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose contract expires in 18 months.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are in the market for competition and cover for Harry Kane. The Englishman was taken off injured during their 1-0 defeat to Brighton on New Year's Day.
However, all three clubs' hopes of signing Dembele have taken a hit after Lyon released a club statement insisting he would not be sold during the January transfer window.
Their statement read: “Olympique Lyonnais has taken note of certain information relayed by the media suggesting that Moussa Dembele could interest other clubs during this transfer window.
“OL 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.”
Dembele has scored 10 Ligue 1 goals this season for Lyon and with Memphis ruled out with a knee ligament injury, they are desperate to keep hold of the 23-year-old.
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