Report: Chelsea to target Dembele despite Lyon's reluctance to sell

Lyon's reluctance to sell forward Moussa Dembele could be put to the test this month.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is expected to target Dembele during the January transfer window in an attempt to strengthen his team's attacking unit, The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg reports.

Lyon chairman Jean Michel Aulas revealed Wednesday he has received offers for Dembele but insisted the 23-year-old will remain at the club beyond the winter signing period.

"Moussa Dembele will not leave because he wants to stay to win something with Lyon," Aulas said, according to Steinberg. "There have been offers for him and for other players but none of those that we want to keep will leave in January."

Considering Lyon are reportedly one of a number of clubs interested in Chelsea outcast Olivier Giroud - who has also attracted interest from Inter, Aston Villa, and Newcastle - the Blues might have a better chance to convince the Ligue 1 club to sell if they include the 33-year-old in a deal for Dembele.

Lampard's admiration for Dembele dates back to the France Under-21 international's impressive spell in Scotland during his time at Celtic, where he helped The Hoops win the treble in back-to-back seasons. He was sold to Lyon for €22 million (£19.7 million) in 2018.

Dembele has appeared in all of Lyon's league matches this season and is five goals shy of his total from the 2018-19 campaign after finding the back of the net 10 times in 18 games this term.

A move for Dembele would provide adequate cover for Tammy Abraham, as Giroud and Michy Batshuayi have been disappointing off the bench for Lampard's team this season.

Now that their transfer ban has been lifted, Chelsea are also said to be interested in signing Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho and Timo Werner from RB Leipzig this month. However, completing a deal for either player in January is unlikely, Steinberg reports.