Wednesday, 14th August, 2013
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas is not willing for the club to cover a percentage of Yoann Gourcuff's salary for the player to move to another French club on loan, but has revealed he understands the midfielder would be willing to take a pay cut to join Arsenal.
Speculation has raged within France that Lyon would be prepared to loan Gourcuff out for the current season without demanding a fee, while they would also foot half the player's salary.
Such talk had Lorient's president instantly on the phone to Aulas, who was forced to rubbish the suggestion Les Gones would consent to such a thing.
"Loic Fery asked me the following question: 'If we ever loaned him out for free, would…' No, of course, this is out of the question. You see us taking over a part of his salary, so that he plays against us for a French club?", Aulas told L'Equipe.
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"We have never envisaged this and it would be even more stupid today than it was a fortnight ago", he added.
However, Gourcuff himself could agree to take a wage cut, Aulas says, but there is at present only one side the midfielder would do this for, in the president's view.
"All I know", said Aulas, "if I have understood correctly, is that he was prepared to reduce his salary to go to Arsenal. But this is not the same thing."
Gourcuff was compared with Zinedine Zidane earlier in his career, but has disappointed at Lyon since joining the club in 2010 from Bordeaux.
He is under contract at the Stade Gerland until 2015.
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