Lyon respond to opening Chelsea bid for French striker

Lyon have reportedly turned down an opening bid of £34m from Chelsea for the services of French forward Moussa Dembele.

The 23-year-old, who has netted 10 goals in all competitions this term, has been earmarked as the prime striking target for the Blues this month.

According to FootMercato, the Blues made an offer of around £34m for the former Fulham man but it was quickly turned down by Les Gones as they are not keen on a mid-season sale.

The same publication cites that the west London side are likely to hold further discussions with the French outfit as they are determined to land a new marksman this month.

Dembele, who has previously been on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, has scored 30 times for Les Gones since arriving from Celtic at the start of the 2018/19 campaign.

He has more than three years remaining on his current contract with Les Gones and the club are in a strong position to decline any transfer bids at the present point of time.