Lyon seal Marcal as first signing, with Chelsea star in sights

During a press conference for new signing Fernando Marcal, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas confirmed that talks with Chelsea over Bertrand Traore are in advanced stages, L’Equipe report.

OL are set for a busy summer according to Aulas, with Marcal confirmed as the club’s first signing of what is expected to be many.

The left-back arrives from Benfica after an impressive season on loan with Guingamp, registering the most assists of any defender in Ligue 1 (7).

Chelsea youngster Traore - who has also spent the last year out on loan - is thought to be next on Lyon’s wish list, with Aulas revealing that they have made an approach to the Blues, stating: "We absolutely want to do the operation [deal for Traore]. We recently moved to Chelsea. The contacts are very advanced, but many clubs are interested”.

The 21-year old was a regular fixture for Ajax last season, scoring 9 league goals and another 4 en route to the Europa League final. An average of 3 successful dribbles per game was bettered only by teammate Amin Younes (3.4) in the Eredivisie.