Lyon striker Moussa Dembele could be on the move as he nears becoming a free agent ahead of the summer transfer window, and French football expert Jonathan Johnson has suggested that Leicester City could do well to snap him up.
The Frenchman has had a fine career in Ligue 1, but it does seem like his very best form for Lyon is behind him now, and Johnson has written in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, to be published in full via Substack tomorrow morning, that a move to the Premier League could make sense.
Johnson has suggested there is historic interest from England due to Dembele’s fine form during spells with Fulham and Celtic, and it was at the latter that he showed huge promise under the guidance of manager Rodgers.
The Northern Irish tactician is now in charge of Leicester, and their financial issues also mean they could do well to swoop for a free agent of Dembele’s profile.
“For all the speculation we’ve had down the years, I think the closest he really came to moving to England was when he ended up moving on loan to Spain with Atletico Madrid last season,” Johnson said.
“There’s traditionally been a lot of interest in him from English clubs because of his time in the UK with Fulham and Celtic, so that loan to Atletico was around a time when he also had an opportunity to potentially go back to the UK, but the options on the table for him at that time meant Atleti were the more attractive option.”
He added: “I do think that a move to an English club could be the best thing for him now in terms of rediscovering his best form. It looks to me like his best moments with Lyon have come and gone, I don’t think we’re going to see a return to the kind of form we’ve seen from him in the past, so it’s probably for the best for all parties now if he moves on, though it’s also a shame for Lyon that they weren’t able to cash in on him in January.
“But from his point of view, I think he knows there’s been historic interest in him so he’ll be confident of finding a destination this summer when his contract expires.
“He was at Celtic at the same time as Brendan Rodgers, and though I can’t claim to know much about how well they worked together during that spell, he certainly showed some fine form in Scotland.
“There’d be some logic to them reuniting, especially as Leicester also have to be a bit careful with how much they spend at the moment, so to have a free agent of his calibre could be smart business for them if they do decide to look for a player of his profile.”