Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has said that his team have secured a dangerous 0-0 draw against Lyon ahead of the return leg of their Champions League round of 16. The Blaugrana failed to find an away goal at the Groupama Stadium despite their dominance and they now find themselves in a must-win situation to progress to the quarter-final stage.

Speaking to reporters, Valverde stressed that the Blaugrana are strong with their performances at the Camp Nou but they face a tricky test against Les Gones, given the risk of conceding an away goal, which may enhance the visitors’ qualifying prospects, he said: “We are strong at home, but 0-0 is a dangerous result for the second leg. You have to win at home and the fans will have to push us, because everything’s to be decided.

French striker Moussa Dembele has said that he needed some time in order to adapt to the new surroundings at Lyon. The young striker made the surprise move to Les Gones from Celtic during the dying stages of the summer transfer window and he has since made over 25 appearances for the club across all competitions.

In a report covered by L’Equipe, Dembele acknowledged that he did not experience the best of beginnings with Les Gones, given he had come through a different style of play under Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers. He continued to explain the differences in tactics between Celtic and Lyon with the latter more profound to utilising counter-attacks.

The representative of Tanguy Ndombele has suggested that any potential suitor would have to pay a staggering price, if they are to secure the signature of the Frenchman from Lyon. The 21-year-old has already caught the attention of Manchester City and Barcelona with his consistent performances during the current campaign but his agent has recently revealed that Napoli are also on the hunt for the enforcer.

Speaking to Calcio Napoli 24, Duro Ivanisevic confirmed that the Naples outfit are indeed keen on signing the upcoming star, although the midfielder won’t come on the cheap with Les Gones said to have placed a €80m price tag on his head, he said: “Napoli are a great club and even more so now they have Carlo Ancelotti, one of the best managers in the world and, with him, he [Ndombele] could get even better. He is in great form and playing at a very high level. He is the classic box-to-box midfielder who can be the difference maker in attack and defence. You need to ask Lyon [about his valuation]. They are asking for €80m, but that could go down and a compromise could be found.”

Lyon CEO Jean-Michel Aulas has stressed that Les Gones are unlikely to entertain the prospect of Memphis Depay leaving the club when the transfer window reopens. The Netherlands international has been in fantastic form for club and country over the past year and this has spread the speculation that he could pursue a bigger challenge away from the Groupama Stadium.

However, speaking to reporters, Aulas has dismissed the possibility of that happening during the forthcoming transfer window while indicating that the Dutchman himself has no ambition to leave the French giants in the near future, he said: “We will not let our star player go in January, we also want to keep Memphis for as long as possible.

Lyon defender Rafael da Silva believes his side are capable of bagging a Champions League double over Manchester City when they face them at the Groupama Stadium later in the month. The former Manchester United star was part of the Lyon side, who secured a shock 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium in September – which remains as the Citizens’ only defeat of the ongoing campaign.

Speaking to reporters, Rafael highlighted that his team are going through a good season in the French league despite the massive gap between themselves and leaders Paris Saint-Germain. He added to point out the victory on the road to the Citizens and feels his team can replicate the result in their homepatch in 10 days’ time.

Arsenal legend Robert Pires believes Moussa Dembele has fared well since making the summer move to Lyon from Celtic. The Frenchman had made a huge name for himself during his two seasons with the Hoops but he could not resist the prospect of joining Les Gones before the transfer deadline during the summer.

Since then, he has been in-and-out of the first-team but he has since impressed with three goals and two assists from just six league appearances. In a report covered by The Star, Pires said that Dembele may take some time to adapt to the pace of the league but he has nevertheless has the credentials to be a success with the French giants.

Liverpool Echo reporter Ian Doyle has claimed that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp could lodge a fresh approach to sign Nabil Fekir when the transfer window reopens at the turn of the year. The Reds were on the brink of landing the Lyon captain during the summer but the move fell through before the World Cup after the Reds had concerns over his medical record.

Despite this, the Reds have continued to be linked with the French playmaker and according to Ian Doyle, Klopp could lodge a fresh attempt to sign Fekir at the turn of the year, he said: “Who knows? It might even still be Fekir, although I’d be a little bit surprised if that’s the case come January. What happened with his deal in the summer is a shame – we all know how close he was to joining Liverpool – and he’d have made a positive difference to the Reds, whether that was easing the load across the front three or, as would be more likely, an attacking midfield role. Will Klopp seek a replacement? The long-term answer has to be yes. Klopp identified a shortcoming in his squad and the right player. He went back for Van Dijk and kept his nerve over Alisson.”

Lyon captain Nabil Fekir has stressed that he has turned the page following his failed transfer to Liverpool during the summer transfer window. The France international was supposedly on the brink of joining the Reds after the clubs agreed upon a £53m deal but the move was cancelled by Jurgen Klopp’s side at the 11th hour.

Since then, reports have suggested that the Reds backed off from the move owing to his previous injury record but Fekir appears unperturbed by the scuppered transfer.
Speaking to reporters, Fekir indicated that he has moved on from the Reds saga and he is now focused on his campaign with Les Gones, he said: “What happened with Liverpool is straight out of my head, I turned the page. We must not stop at this, we must move forward. There are things that must be accepted.”

RMC journalist Jonatan MacHardy does not believe Liverpool will return for the services of Lyon captain Nabil Fekir during the ongoing transfer window. The France international came on the cusp of joining the Reds in June but the move was scuppered at the final hurdle with the Merseyside giants expressing concern over the player’s injury record.

Since then, there has been literally no contact between the sides and MacHardy has now suggested that the World Cup-winning midfielder has no concerns about extending his stay with Les Gones, he told Foot RMC: “Nabil Fekir has all the interest to stay in Lyon and will play the Champions League. He’s coming out of a bad injury. We are football fans and we love to see Nabil play. It’s a pleasure to see him playing at home. I hope he will stay.”

Lyon defender Rafael Da Silva claims that he is extremely happy at the French club and is not looking for a move away from the French team. There are reports that Besiktas may be making a move for the defender, who has been with Lyon since 2015. Besiktas is a hotbed when it comes to possessing Brazil footballers and it is one of the reasons behind Besiktas making a move for the defender. However, it would be extremely difficult to call Rafael Da Silva as a Brazilian at heart, as he has been playing in English football for a majority of his career.

After starting out with Fluminense as a teenager, Rafael Da Silva moved to English football back in 2008 when he was still in his teen ages. The small was crucial in taking away the Brazilian mentality from the right back, whose younger twin brother is also part of the game. After spending several campaigns with Manchester United, Rafael Da Silva took the difficult decision of moving to Lyon in 2015 so as to get more first-team football. This has proven to be the case with the defender making 72 appearances for the French team in the last three seasons, while he only managed 109 league games for Manchester United in almost twice that period.