It was one of John Textor’s priority fights at the start of this transfer window. Eager to strengthen OL, the American leader did not want his best players to leave the ship this summer. Particularly in demand, the young players from Lyon were among the best elements of the Rhone team last season. With this in mind, the new president of Les Gones intended not to sell them, even if it meant engaging in arm wrestling with the teams interested in them.
That’s what happened with RB Leipzig a few weeks ago. Courting Castello Lukeba with ardor for several days, the German club had made three offers around 30 million euros to secure the services of the 20-year-old defender. While the Rhone board had struggled for several days, it finally gave in against 35 million euros. A battle lost by Textor who could also lose the war with the departure of another youngster from OL: Bradley Barcola.
He only wants to join PSG
While some sources echoed Barcola’s lack of interest in this start to the season following beacon calls from several top clubs, the club-bred winger seemed to have his mind elsewhere on the pitch. And the latest information from RMC Sports confirms this trend. Indeed, according to information from our colleagues, the international Espoirs would have asked his leaders to leave during a meeting which took place this Friday. A news that is likely to go badly with the supporters, who have already badly digested the departure of Castello Lukeba on the other side of the Rhine. Always according to RMC, Barcola only thinks of PSG who are also determined to recruit him by the end of the transfer window. Negotiations between the two clubs have been full of hiccups in recent days, but the two clubs are still in discussions this Friday.
Targeted for several weeks by the capital club, the 20-year-old winger is now clear: he wants to join the reigning French champion. A plan that should be accessible when his career is now managed by Jorge Mendes who has had a privileged relationship with Luis Campos since the start of this transfer window. From now on, OL will therefore have to activate to find a replacement for him. The Team mentioned a few days ago a track activated abroad but Lyon will have to accelerate to secure their backs.
