Gift Orban (22) is very much in the shop window. The Nigerian forward joined Olympique Lyonnais last January as part of a frantic recruitment drive, aimed at securing the club’s Ligue 1 status. Ultimately, OL did more than just that, breaking into the European places and reaching the Coupe de France final.

But that isn’t to say that all of the signings were a success. Orban played a marginal role last season, and since Georges Mikautadze’s arrival in the summer, that hasn’t changed, in fact, the situation has worsened. Orban has played just five games in all competitions this season, and as reported by Mohamed Toubache-Ter, Lyon are looking to offload him in January as part of an expected fire sale amid financial difficulties at the French club. 

Lens to trust in youth

Sources in France had touted a potential move to RC Lens, who are contending with an injury crisis up front. Notably, Martín Satriano, brought in to lead the line following Elye Wahi’s departure, suffered an ACL injury at the start of the campaign. He won’t feature again this season. 

However, reports linking Orban to Lens are wide of the mark, according to Foot Mercato. Les Sang et Or are not necessarily in the market for a No.9, unless an unissable opportunity presents itself. As things stand, Will Still is looking to give more opportunities to Rayan Fofana and Kembo Diliwidi, both of whom recently signed their first professional contracts with the club. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle