Poulmaire: At least ten clubs have approached Gourcuff
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| AFP |
Yoann Gourcuff has attracted interest from "at least ten" clubs as he nears the end of his Lyon contract, according to his representative. The 28-year-old playmaker, who has 31 France caps, will be a free agent at the end of this season.
The chance to sign a player formerly hailed as 'The New Zinedine Zidane' for nothing will hold obvious appeal, despite his frustrating injury record in recent years.
Asked if clubs had shown an interest in his client, Gourcuff's lawyer Didier Poulmaire told Le Parisien: "At least ten. Very few players of Yoann's talent become free agents. In the context of financial fair play, it is an enormous opportunity. I have had interest from very big clubs."
Gourcuff has previously been linked with major clubs around Europe including Premier League pair Liverpool and Arsenal. Having started his career at Rennes, Gourcuff moved to AC Milan in 2006 but failed to truly establish himself at the San Siro, though he did earn a UEFA Champions League winner's medal in 2006/07.
He returned to France with Bordeaux on an initial loan deal for the 2008/09 season, when he helped them win Ligue 1 and the Coupe de la Ligue before signing permanently. He was named as France Football magazine's French player of the year for 2009 and joined Lyon in August 2010, but injuries have sidelined him for around half of the club's games since.
Poulmaire said: "He arrived at Lyon, like at Bordeaux, with the desire to succeed. He has sometimes been injured in game situations. After that, you must speak to those who treated him. You cannot seriously consider Yoann as being responsible for his injuries.
"You can ask who would take a player with such a record, but people know his talent. We have a detailed analysis of what has happened on the physical side which we can explain to interested clubs."