Mathieu Valbuena is close to joining Fenerbahce, according to French media reports, although Lyon have denied pushing the midfielder out of the club.
Valbuena, 32, made 30 Ligue 1 appearances and scored eight goals as Lyon finished fourth in the French top flight this season, while also contributing to their run to the last four of the Europa League.
However, with just a year left on his Lyon contract, the France international has been tipped to move on with Fenerbahce ready to meet his €500,000 monthly wage with a three-year contract, according to Yahoo Sport.
French journalist Pierre Menes wrote on Twitter that the switch was "because they don't want him any more at Lyon...," but club president Jean-Michel Aulas replied with a tweet of his own to counter the claim.
@PierreMenes @YahooSportFR non pas du tout c'est lui qui est tenté par un contrat de 3 ans que l'OL ne peut pas lui offrir #mathieutheking
- Jean-Michel AULAS (@JM_Aulas) May 24, 2017
"Not at all," Aulas wrote. "He's tempted by a three-year contract that OL can't offer him."
Aulas concluded with the hashtag "Mathieu the king," without providing any further explanation.
