Olympique Lyonnais have secured the signature of former Villareal striker Karl Toko-Ekambi on loan for the rest of the season.
The 27-year-old Cameroon international already had a stint in the Ligue 1 with the French side, Angers SCO before leaving for the yellow submarines in the La Liga Santander signing on loan through to the end of the 2019-20 season.
He traveled to Lyon on Monday to finalise his move to Lyon to sign the loan deal that has €11.5m option as the final clause.
Toko-Ekambi had a sensational 2017-18 campaign with Angers where he scored 17 goals in 37 appearances before moving to Spain. The striker who already 30 caps for Cameroon with three goals to his credit will be a welcome arrival for coach Rudi Garcia.
Lyon had already lost attacking lynchpin Memphis Depay and gifted midfielder Jeff Reine-Adélaïde – to anterior cruciate ligament injuries late in 2019.
So, the striker is expected to slot into the starting line up alongside the club’s highest goalscorer, Moussa Dembele, whom the club had said is going nowhere after rejecting two bids from Chelsea.
The club in a statement on its website said the arrival of the Cameroonian reinforces their ambitions as they are currently in all four four competitions, which are Ligue 1 Conforama, the Coupe de la Ligue, the Coupe de France and the UEFA Champions League.
It added that the aim is to reach the highest level in the second part of the season.
Meanwhile, Paris Sainte Germaine seemed to have opened the door for Uruguay striker, Edison Cavani, to leave the club after he tendered his transfer request.
The club’s director, Leonardo, confirmed the development after the league leaders beat Lorient 1-0 in the Coupe de France round of 16 in Lorient.
Although the forward was on PSG’s extensive injury list, he became the topic of discussion for Leonardo after the match.
Leonardo, who said the club hopes the club’s all-time highest goal scorer stays the board is studying his situation. He also confirmed receiving offers from the Spanish side, Atletico Madrid, but it didn’t meet his value.
While noting that the capital club is open to other offers, the director said the club would see how things develop over the next few days.
Since the Fantastic Four – Mauro Icardi, Angel di Maria, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar began to fire from all cylinders, Cavani has struggled for a starting place, and he was out injured.
