Chelsea have been named among the clubs interested in signing Willem Geubbels from Lyon in the summer but the Ligue 1 side are determined not to let him slip through their fingers.
The 16-year-old striker has broken into the Lyon first-team setup this season, making four appearances in total, becoming the youngest player to feature in the Europa League in the process but the teenager is now considering his options given the interest in him.
Fellow Premier League sides Arsenal and Manchester City are among those interested in signing Geubbels while there is also interest from Europe with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Monaco and RB Leipzig all linked.
After rejecting a new contract with Lyon earlier this season, Geubbels is said to be interested in making a summer move but Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas insists that the striker, who is under contract until 2019, will not leave on the cheap.
Addressing interest from Ligue 1 rivals Monaco, Aulas states that he will not gift Geubbels to anyone:
They have just cashed €300million or €400million, so they will pay for Geubbels. If Willem thinks he can have a better career in Monaco than Lyon… Monaco bought Pietro Pellegri for €25million. We will not make gifts.
In any case, we try to have people with ethics. My biggest regret is never to have seen Willem alone, I’ll talk to him about it directly.
It is the end of his contract in 2019. If Monaco makes an offer of €70million we will be disappointed because we believe [in Geubbels] a lot. We are reassured by his valuation.
The fee Aulas alludes to equates to £62.5m which the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Monaco and RB Leipzig could all potentially meet.
