Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has labelled the Celtic chief executive a “bulldog” as negotiations with Moussa Dembele intensify.
Dembele, 22, missed training on Wednesday and representatives of Lyon flew to Glasgow to discuss the possibility of bringing the Frenchman back to his homeland.
Aulas confirmed Les Gones were interested in bringing the marksman to the Groupama Stadium on Wednesday, while further revealing that the club were in advanced talks with Lille winger Nicolas Pepe.
In the wake of Lyon’s interest, Aulas also hit out at Peter Lawwell, the chief executive of Celtic, branding him a “bulldog” for his supposed stubbornness in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters in a Lyon press conference, Aulas said: “I know the boss at Celtic well. He is basically like a bulldog who negotiates after yapping. Don’t tell him I said that.”
In fear of retaliation, Aulas was quick to add that Lawwell was in fact a friend of his and “a great guy.”
He added: “He will be vexed that I’ve said that. He’s a good friend, a great guy and very difficult in negotiations.”
The France transfer window shuts on Friday at 11pm, while the Scottish window closes an hour later at midnight; with Dembele’s move gaining serious traction, Brendan Rodgers may be forced to delve into the market and recruit a new forward.
Should the former Fulham forward part ways with the Hoops, then Rodgers could turn to either Odsonne Edouard or Leigh Griffiths to lead his line.
The first Old Firm derby will take place this weekend, with Rodgers facing Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, whom he managed during his spell in charge of Liverpool.
The match takes place on Sunday at Celtic Park.
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