Lyon have made it clear they are determined to keep Moussa Dembele despite reports linking him with a move to Chelsea.
Blues boss Frank Lampard is said to be keen to snap up the former Fulham forward, who has been tipped to return to the Premier League for some time.
Dembele, who has also played for Celtic, has scored 25 goals since moving to Lyon for £20m 18 months ago.
And the French club released a statement on Thursday insisting that they have no desire to sell the 23-year-old.
“Olympique Lyonnais has taken note of certain information relayed by the media suggesting that Moussa Dembele could interest other clubs during this transfer window,” the statement read.
“We would like to reaffirm its wish, as in the summer of 2019, to keep Moussa Dembele. The club has full confidence in Moussa and counts in particular on him to build a successful team for the seasons to come.”
Chelsea have also been linked with Wilfried Zaha – but Lampard has refused to comment on reports he is pursuing a deal to sign the Crystal Palace winger.
Lampard told reporters after the 1-1 draw at Brighton: “I wouldn’t talk about Zaha and the idea of that deal is something I’ve never even considered. I won’t talk about Zaha because he’s not a player of ours.
“If we have to do business we’ll do it in the way that we see fit to try to make us better and that’s done behind closed doors as opposed to just announcing who we might want to bring in.”