Lyon’s owner, John Textor, has denied that the French club is required to sell players for €100 million before the end of the summer transfer window.
The club has had a difficult start to the season, failing to win either of their first two games and scoring no goals. Their 2-0 loss to Monaco saw them record their lowest shot tally in a single Ligue 1 game since Opta began collecting this data in 2006-07.
Earlier this week, French newspaper L’Equipe reported that Lyon had put the majority of their squad on the transfer market to raise €75 million to balance their budget and meet financial sales targets, having spent around €134 million since June, more than any other team in France.
However, Textor has refuted these claims, stating, “We do not have sales targets, and we are not required to sell €100 million of players as there may be other ways to bring in revenues to maintain financial sustainability.”
Textor, the majority stakeholder of Lyon through Eagle Football Group, acknowledged that it has been a slow transfer window and that the club may have missed their normal budget in the off-season. He said, “That’s certainly true, but that does not mean that we are required to hit that budget. If it’s a slow transfer window, then we hold players until the next window. It’s as simple as that.”
The American businessman, who also owns stakes in Botafogo, RVD Molenbeek, and Crystal Palace, indicated that there is always “flexibility in how to create cash flows” and that “every company in France has the same challenge. At the end of the year, negative equity has to be restored. It’s no different in football.”