Josh Lawless
Six Lyon players look set to move on after the club were provisionally relegated to the second division in France.
On Friday, it was announced that Lyon had been handed a demotion to Ligue 2 unless they improve their financial situation.
The decision came after the club were forced to appear before the financial watchdog DNCG (Direction Nationale du Controle de Gestion), who are supervising their wages and enforced a transfer ban following debts reaching more than €500 million.
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In addition to not being able to sign players, Lyon are now in a situation where they will be forced to offload some of their prized assets in order to recoup funds.
Lyon, who are predominantly owned by Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor of the Eagle Football Group, splashed out £150 million on new recruits in the summer window.
But many key players may be forced to move on, with Get French Football News reporting that the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Anthony Lopes, and Nicolas Tagliafico, Nemanja Matic and Corentin Tolisso all look likely to depart as they are among the highest-paid players.
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That is set to happen next summer but the books need to be balanced before then. 19-year-old Malick Fofana is a leading contender to be sold in the January window after scoring five goals and registering two assists in 15 appearances this season,
The winger signed from Gent last January and made his senior debut for the Belgium national team in a 2-2 draw with Italy.
Fofana is a man in demand and Foot Mercato say that clubs habeen "rubbing their hands" over possibly signing Fofana in the middle of the season.
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He has been linked with sides in the Premier League and Lyon are aware that they could have no choice but to sell him.
Lyon are currently fifth in Ligue One, with five wins, three losses and three defeats from 11 games this season. They return to action on Saturday with a trip to Reims in their first game since news of their provisional relegation.