CELTIC have missed out of a cash windfall after Chelsea had a £34million bid for Moussa Dembele rejected.
The London club’s boss Frank Lampard made his move yesterday, but Lyon were not interested in selling the former Hoops striker, according to a report in Sky Sports News.
The champions are due a 10 per cent sell-on in the original clause when the powerhouse frontman returned to France in a £19.8million switch in August 2018.
Dembele was targeted by the Stamford Bridge side after scoring 30 goals since moving to Ligue 1 and the French club underlined their resistance to part with the 23-year-old forward by releasing a statement.
It read: “Olympique Lyonnais has taken note of certain information relayed by the media suggesting that Moussa Dembele could interest other clubs during this transfer window.
“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.”
Dembele’s compatriot Olivier Giroud is poised to leave Chelsea during this transfer window and Lampard has been tracking Dembele for some time.
But he will now have to wait until the summer, at least, in the pursuit of the frontman who he reportedly views as having similar attributes to former club favourite Didier Drogba.
