“Athekame, who signed for Lyon… The coach got it, I got it, we did video sessions with other players, but it was not possible to continue. » In his last truth-telling interview on the situation at Olympique de Marseille, Marseille sports director Grégory Lorenzi confided that he had great regrets at not having been able to recruit the young Swiss right-back Zachary Athekame (21 years old) this summer because of OM’s financial concerns. Since then, the player belonging to AC Milan has continued to prove him right.
Recruited by the Rossoneri in 2025 for nearly €11 million and loaned this season to Olympique Lyonnais, the former Young Boys resident immediately established himself as one of the good picks in the 2026 summer transfer window, thus confirming the excellent flair of Rhone recruiters, always forced to strengthen at a lower cost. Under the Gones jersey, the Swiss international (4 caps) played all of OL’s 7 Ligue 1 matches with a record of 2 goals and 3 assists.
AC Milan eyes early return
Performances which visibly gave an idea to the Milanese leaders. There Gazzetta dello Sport reveals that AC Milan is considering an early return of Athekame in January! Really bad news for OL. Currently, the Rhone residents only have Steeve Kango as another specialist in the position. Losing Athekame after six months would force Lyon to find a satisfactory replacement solution within a few weeks, as the club fights for the podium in Ligue 1 and a place in the top 8 in the Europa League.
Milan would like to repatriate Athekame to cope with the busy schedule that awaits in the second half of the season, but the matter will not be simple. The Swiss (author of 29 matches with the Rossoneri last season) is certainly on loan without a purchase option, but an early departure would force Milan to negotiate with the seven-time French champions. And as is often the case in these cases, the amount of the compensation check will make the difference. To be continued.
