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French football giants Lyon have been kicked down to the second division because they owe too much money, league bosses announced on Tuesday.
The seven-time champions are in debt to the tune of €175 million and can't show how they'll pay it back. American owner John Textor tried to move cash from his Brazilian club Botafogo to cover the bills, but French regulators said no.
Lyon got a transfer ban in January and were warned in November this could happen. They managed to raise €42.5 million by selling Rayan Cherki to Manchester City earlier this month, and Textor just flogged his Crystal Palace shares for $254 million on Monday.
But it wasn't enough to convince the regulators. The club's been watched closely for two years after spending got out of hand.
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Lyon are planning to fight the decision. They believe they can prove they shouldn't be demoted to Ligue 2.
In all this mess is Ghana international Ernest Nuamah, who the club attempted to sell in the 2024 summer transfer window due to their financial struggles. However, the deal didn’t materialise.
Now that the club needs to raise enough money to fight their financial troubles, the 21-year-old could be up for sale again.
We look at three clubs that will come knocking if the Black Stars player decides he doesn’t want to play in the French lower tier, or he’s listed on the transfer market.
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1. Everton
Nuamah struggled in the early stages of last season but picked up later before he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on April 6, 2025, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.
During that period, he was linked with a move to Everton and the Toffees could come knocking again. Everton manager David Moyes confirmed the Premier League club were interested in signing him.
With Everton looking to bolster their squad and improve their position in the Premier League standings next season, Nuamah could be one of their targets again.
2. Galatasaray
Turkish giants Galatasaray S.K. wanted to sign Nuamah during the 2025 January transfer window.
They were expected to make an official bid for the 21-year-old and Turkish outlet SPORX revealed that Galatasaray were eager to revive their interest in the talented winger by offering €10 million for his signature.
With the Turkish league winners hoping to make a strong statement in next season’s Champions League, Nuamah’s move is not completely ruled out.
3. Fulham
Fulham ultimately reached an agreement with Lyon to sign the winger for a €19 million fee on deadline day, although the transfer later failed to materialise.
This was because Nuamah didn’t want to join the Cottagers and was emotionally affected by Lyon’s insistence on selling him, per French outlet L’Equipe.
He reportedly cried and went missing during his medical when Fulham tried to sign him from his French club, causing the transfer to fall through because he wanted to stay and play in the Europa League.
However, with Lyon now set to play in Ligue 2, Nuamah might reconsider his stance this time to play in a Fulham team, who proved last season they could also fight for European spots.
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It remains to be seen whether Lyon’s appeal will be successful and where Nuamah could potentially end up next season.