Lyon chief unsure if Malouda will go

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas fears Florent Malouda's proposed move to Chelsea may not materialise.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas fears Florent Malouda's proposed move to Chelsea may not materialise.

The winger has made it clear he wants to join the English giants and claims he has already spoken to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

But the London club have yet to meet Lyon's valuation of the France international, which is believed to be around £17million.

And with Lyon already back in training ahead of the new season, Aulas does not believe Chelsea have the appetite to finalise the transfer.

READ MORE

"I said to Flo that I wasn't sure the deal was going to materialise and that it was necessary he went to Tignes \[Lyon's training base]," said Aulas.

"I am not sure Chelsea have the desire or the means to call out to Florent Malouda.

"\[Chelsea chief executive] Peter Kenyon said to Flo he was leaving for Moscow to meet the club's owner \[Roman Abramovich]. Sometimes, things happen quickly.

"But I don't feel these people really want to tie up this deal."

Malouda, who has also been linked with Liverpool, was not at Tignes yesterday for the Lyon squad's first day of pre-season training.

But he is set to link up with the rest of his Les Gones team-mates for the remainder of this week's training, as he awaits news from Chelsea.