Lyon star tempted by Arsenal attention
After a fortnight filled with transfer speculation linking the player with a move to the Premier League, Arsenal may ease their defensive woes and sign Aly Cissokho from Lyon.
The move looks more likely after the Olympique Lyonnais chief, Jean-Michel Aulas, revealed that the Ligue 1 side may not be ‘totally against’ the idea of selling the star.
It’s thought that the switch may come about as the Ligue 1 outfit seek to balance their books, with the proposed sale of Cissokho expected to bring in around £11m.
The French outfit are currently having to deploy midfielders as centre-backs and would be expected to use any transfer money gained from the sale of their left-back to finance a move for a central defender.
Speaking to French paper, L’Equipe, Aulas stated: “Possible winter departures? That doesn’t mean we don’t have any more means, but we want to keep the rules we set, which is to not increase deficit.”
He also gave a more specific point of view on Cissokho, adding: “The transfer of Aly Cissokho? I am rather in favour of it.”
The news seems to point towards the 24 year-old’s departure, however the Gunners would still need to fund such a move.
The North London side spent almost £7m bringing Andre Santos to the Emirates Stadium over the summer, and while it’s true the Brazilian is out with injury until April, they may find it hard to spend such a large amount on a player of the same position two transfer windows in a row.
Cissokho has become a key part of the Lyon machine over the past three years, making 19 starts in the French top flight this campaign but the decision now seems to lie with the Arsenal executive staff.
