It was a last minute bet last summer. Arriving on loan from RC Lens, Martin Satriano was expected to bring depth to the Lyon attack. Six months later, the results are starving. With only 3 goals and 1 assist in 19 matches in all competitions, the Uruguayan international has never managed to win despite scoring twice against FC Nantes, his only two goals scored in Ligue 1 with the Rhone club.
Since then, he has seen his rating drop drastically against the competition, especially since the arrival of Endrick on loan from Real Madrid. Now relegated to the hierarchy behind the 18-year-old Brazilian phenomenon, who is taking up playing time at the forefront of the attack and who scored in his first appearance in the Coupe de France against LOSC, Satriano could already leave the Rhone city. And the Lyon management has put together a bold plan to resolve the problem.
OL could buy him this winter… to sell him straight away!
Contractually, Satriano is loaned by the Sang et Or with a compulsory purchase option of €5 million conditional on maintaining the professional status of the club (a simple formality). OL therefore virtually already owns the player for next summer. But according to our information, the Rhone general staff is seriously considering exercising this purchase option this winter. The objective? Become fully master of the player’s destiny immediately to be able to transfer him definitively straight away, without waiting for June. A financial maneuver which would allow OL to get back on their feet financially or, at a minimum, to limit the damage.
If the French experience is a failure, Satriano’s popularity remains intact abroad. His warrior profile is hugely popular on the other side of the Pyrenees where Valencia and Girona are monitoring the situation, as are Oviedo, Elche and Levante at the lower level. According to our information, Spain is today the most plausible destination at the time of writing. In Italy, where the former Inter Milan retains the image of a great talent, interest is also real.
Serie A is on fire for its former prodigy
According to our information, the Torino is very hot on the file. Under the leadership of its new sports management led by Gianluca Petrachi, the Piedmontese club is seriously considering Satriano. The operation is, however, conditional on the departure of Duván Zapata. The Colombian, who is returning from injury and weighs heavily on the payroll, is losing momentum, but is of great interest to Genoa and Cagliari.
The Toro is not alone: Parma is also in the race. Currently 14th in Serie A, the Parmesans suffer from major offensive problems and their coach Cuesta fully validates the Uruguayan’s profile. Finally, the Hellas Verona came to intelligence for its maintenance mission. Note that Genoa and Cagliari, once interested in Satriano, dropped the matter to concentrate on other avenues (including that leading to Zapata). The ball is in OL’s court, who will undoubtedly accelerate their approach in the coming days. One thing is certain, if this happens, it will be of great benefit to the management of RC Lens who would recover the €5 million promised at the end of the season more quickly than expected.
