Defiant Moussa Dembele has been told to sign a new contract at Lyon or walk away from the Ligue 1 side this summer by recruitment manager Bruno Cheyrou.
The French side are set to kick-off the campaign against Troyes on Saturday with speculation ramping up over the Lyon captain's long term future at the Groupama Stadium. The striker netted 22 goals for the club last term as they slumped to a disappointing eighth placed finish - and the summer addition of Alexandre Lacazette from Arsenal has put his starting spot in doubt.
With the 25-year-old in the final year of his contract, reports in France had claimed he was willing to see out his final season at the club despite interest from the English Premier League. That could have a major impact on Celtic, who agreed a 15 per cent sell on clause when Dembele left Parkhead for France in 2018 for £19.7million.
However, the potential windfall looks to be on as Lyon turn the pressure on Dembele with just days until the big kick-off. Cheyrou has stated he only wants players at the club who are committed to the long-term project at the club.
He told Foot Mercato : “In this case, it's either they extend or they leave. As a club, we are entitled to ask that they commit to the medium term with us because we are at the start of a project over several years.
"We don't want to do a one-shot. We want to stay as high as possible for as long as possible. We must be able to have players fully involved in the project, but with a one-year contract, it is more difficult to imagine that the guys are involved."
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