Report: Arsenal target rejects new contract after Everton & West Ham snub

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Moussa Dembele has reportedly turned down a new contract with Lyon just days after rejecting the likes of Everton and West Ham, with Arsenal also interested in the 26-year-old striker.

According to L’Equipe, the former Celtic superstar has rejected a contract renewal with Lyon despite the forward reportedly shooting down a quintet of Premier League sides that included Everton and West Ham over a summer transfer, with Dembele’s deal to expire next year.

With Arsenal also reportedly interested in Dembele, who Lyon are believed to value at £25m, the decision to reject a new contract is a strange one from the attacker, with the forward looking set to leave France this summer following the arrival of former Gooner Alexandre Lacazette, who was also named captain.

The stunning sequence of events means that Dembele faces an unlikely future at Lyon, with the forward seemingly not open to joining a club like Everton or West Ham whilst also not willing to remain in France with the Ligue 1 giants, with the PSG academy graduate potentially eyeing a move to a bigger.

Indeed, Lyon failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season or Europe as a whole, and because of this, Dembele could be holding out for a late move from a top side who can offer the striker regular football in football’s biggest club competition, something that seems unlikely at this stage of the window.

Dembele might regret rejecting Premier League move amid new Lyon contract offer

Dembele might be a player good enough to compete for a Champions League side, however, with so few clubs in this category out there looking for a top striker, the French forward could regret rejecting the likes of Everton and West Ham after his latest reaction to a Lyon contract offer.

After all, the Premier League is a division where Dembele could become a force based on his record in France for Lyon and in Scotland for Celtic, and for a side like Everton who are desperate for a quality attacker, the Arsenal target could have bit the bullet and signed for Frank Lampard’s side.