Cardiff could punch above their weight with French striker signing
Published:Lyon have not turned down many opportunities to sell their top players in the last decade, with the likes of Michael Essien, Eric Abidal and Karim Benzema all passing through their hands.
There has not been much let up in recent times either and arguably Lyon’s need to sell has worsened, with Jeremy Toulalan, Miralem Pjanic, Hugo Lloris and Kim Kallstrom all departing in the past two seasons.
Bafetimbi Gomis and Maxime Gonalons appear to be their biggest current assets and it would be no surprise to see the former join the Premier League this summer.
Arsenal and Tottenham have been considered among the frontrunners in the past, while there is said to be interest from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.
However, undoubtedly the most surprisingly club to show an interest is Premier League new-boys Cardiff and capturing a player of Gomis’ stature would be a real statement of intent to their hopes of survival.
There is no reason to suggest that Gomis couldn’t replicate the type of debut season enjoyed by Christian Benteke at Aston Villa and his 16 league goals for Lyon in this campaign equals his best ever return, with two fixtures still remaining.
Gomis may even be more direct than Benteke, while his all-round attributes to lead the line are more than adequate as he is decent in the air, strong on the ball and pacey.
Given that the 27-year-old only has a year left on his Lyon contract, he is almost certain to leave this summer and could be available for a very fair fee, maybe in the region of £10m.
With Cardiff not blessed with a stand-out midfield creator, Malky Mackay may also want to consider purchasing a new playmaker this summer to supply the ammunition to Gomis or anyone else that spearheads their Premier League attack.
The fact that Gomis will demand first-team football in the hope of gaining a spot in France’s 2014 World Cup squad, a move to Cardiff may offer the best opportunity of regular appearances.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
