Chelsea leading the race to sign French striker

Chelsea are reportedly leading the hunt to sign Moussa Dembele from Lyon, having agreed on a first-refusal option for the striker during the previous transfer window.

The west London side failed with an attempt to sign the Frenchman during the January transfer window and Les Gones thereafter released a statement where they assured that the forward will remain with the club for the season.

According to The Mail, the Ligue 1 outfit are prepared to part ways with the marksman at the end of the campaign and they are set to demand a fee of around £60m from interested clubs.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United have been credited with an interest but the former are likely to receive the first priority from Les Gones following their unsuccessful January bid.

Dembele has netted 16 goals from 27 appearances for the French club this term. He was the subject of a £35m bid from Frank Lampard's side in January which was clearly insufficient to convince Les Gones into a sale.