Ghana winger Ernest Nuamah's future at Olympique Lyon is in limbo following the demotion of the club to the French second-tier league.
Nuamah, who is currently nursing an ACL injury, was among the top-earning players at Lyon, whose wage bill reportedly rose the club's debt from €458 million to €508 million.
The increasing debt of Olympique Lyon forced the club to sell and release several top players, including Saïd Benrahma, Anthony Lopes, Orel Mangala, Dejan Lovren, Gift Orban, Jake O'Brien, and Maxence Caqueret, who all left during the last winter transfer window.
The mass exodus of their high earners continued with the summer transfer of Rayan Cherki to Manchester City. However, Malick Fofana, Ernest Nuamah, Nemanja Matic, and Corentin Tolisso still remain top earners on the wage bill of the French club.
The Ghana international managed to score six goals and provided two assists in 33 appearances for Lyon across all competitions during the 2024-25 season before he suffered the ACL injury that kept him out of the season.
Nuamah has a contract with Lyon until the summer of 2028, and the club is willing to sell him to any club this summer for €30 million, per Kickgh.com sources.
Olympique Lyon relegated to French Ligue 2
On June 24, 2025, French giants Olympique Lyon were officially relegated from the top-tier league to Ligue 2, following an unsuccessful meeting with the DNCG.
The seven-time Ligue 1 title holders will now take part in the second-tier competition in France, starting from the 2025-26 season.
Lyon were initially handed a provisional relegation to the second division in the last meeting with the French football financial body. This was due to the financial situation they found themselves in, with the demotion now confirmed as the situation hasn't improved.
In order to try and convince the DNCG that the financial situation at the club had significantly improved, Eagle Football Group attempted several levers. John Textor sold his shares in both Premier League club Crystal Palace and the Lyon women's team, but it still wasn't enough.
It is worth noting that Lyon had been temporarily relegated during the winter transfer period due to its failure to provide the required financial guarantees amidst huge debts amounting to 175 million euros, which put its administrative and sporting future at stake.
Lyon's president, John Textor, and the club's football director, Mickaël Gerlinger, had undergone a hearing before the committee in an attempt to avoid the relegation decision, but the committee decided to activate the penalty based on Article 11 of its regulations while granting the club the right to appeal.
Despite John Textor's recent statements confirming that the club is in good financial shape after significant investments, the committee saw otherwise, confirming the relegation of one of France's biggest clubs to the second division for the first time in many years.
"You can see from the contributions of our shareholders that we have invested new capital, not only for the DNCG but also for our UEFA licensing process. Not to mention the good news of the sale of Crystal Palace. Our liquidity situation has improved considerably."
The owners of Olympique Lyon are expected to appeal the decision in the coming days.
By: Gideon Kofi Nyamekye
