Gonalons will remain as a Lyon player.
Recent Arsenal target Maxime Gonalons is not leaving current club Olympique Lyon according to chairman Jean-Michel Aulas, despite Napoli also showing interest
Lyon have already issued a ‘hands-off’ warning to the Gunners after the north London club looked set to make a bid for club captain Gonalons, but Aulas has had to reiterate his point following offers for the midfielder.
“Unfortunately there are several clubs that made offers, one of them superior to €13m (£11m),” the chairman was quoted on The Sport Review.
“But, he is part of our strategy. And with that I know, Maxime wants to stay at Lyon.”
Yet it seems that no matter what Aulas says both Arsenal and Napoli are going to continue their pursuit of the 24-year-old, with Arsene Wenger aiming to improve his squad with his allocated £70m budget.
Gonalons is a product of the Lyon youth system and has been instrumental in the club’s bid to return to the top of Ligue 1 over the past two seasons.
The midfielder has started all but six of the French club’s league matches since the start of the 2011/12 campaign and last season made 42 appearances in all competitions for Lyon.
Impressive performances from Gonalons over the past two years has also earned him international recognition and to date the midfield general has earned six caps for France.
Wenger has targeted central midfield as one of the main areas the 63-year-old would like to improve this summer, with Everton’s Marouane Fellaini also on the club’s radar.
Gonalons may be more attracted to the Premier League outfit when they complete their expected £22m deal for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.
Here the Frenchman shows his goal-scoring capabilities with a strike against Liverpool.
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