Jean-Michel Aulas: 'Houssem Aouar has not asked to leave amid Manchester City talk'

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has said that Houssem Aouar has not asked to leave the club this summer amid reports of interest from Manchester City.

The Premier League champions have allegedly identified the 21-year-old as a key target ahead of this summer's transfer window.

Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have also previously been credited with an interest, but Aulas has insisted that Aouar has not signalled that he wants to leave ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

"A player's decision is always the most important thing. Keeping a player against his wishes is not reasonable," Aulas told Lyon's official website. "Houssem has not said he wants to leave. We want to try to keep him even though the interest is considerable. There are no negotiations ongoing."

The France Under-21 international, who has a contract at Groupama Stadium until June 2023, has scored nine times and contributed seven assists in 37 appearances for Les Gones this season.

City, meanwhile, are also allegedly set to be frustrated in their pursuit of Juventus centre-back Leonardo Bonucci.