departure recorded and inevitable for 5 captains!

Olympique Lyonnais is in the middle of a crisis. This Friday evening, the Rhone club was demoted as a precaution to Ligue 2. It will also not be able to recruit this winter and will be forced to sell to reduce its payroll.

Numerous and important departures are therefore expected this winter and next summer to avoid seeing this historic club being relegated to the lower division. If the departure of Rayan Cherki appears inevitable, other players, not necessarily initially leaving, could raise their sails.

OL: 50% drop in payroll

This is particularly the case of Moussa Niakhaté, who is in the sights of LOSC. The departure of other players with good market values ​​now seems a priority. But to reduce the club's wage bill, the biggest salaries must leave.

The club's captains, who overall have the highest salaries at the club, should therefore leave OL. According to information from Olivier Salmon,the French training payroll expected to drop by 50% before the next season (2025-2026). The objective being to stabilize the finances of the Rhone club.

In this sense, five captains should leave by next summer. The journalist specializing in news from the Rhone club discusses these five cases.

OL: planned departures of Tolisso and Lacazette

Trained at Olympique Lyonnais and returned to the Rhône a few years ago, Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso, who are leaders on and off the pitch, are expected to leave OL at the end of this season. Just like the Serbian midfielder, Nemanja Matic.

Already leaving this summer, Anthony Lopes, who was courted in Ligue 1 but ultimately did not leave Lyon, will be at the end of his contract at the end of the season and will of course not be retained. His departure will do a lot of good for the club's payroll, because the emblematic Gones goalkeeper has one of the highest salaries at the club with around 400,000 euros per month.

Nicolas Tagliafico will not be extended

Finally, Nicholas Tagliaficowho would like to return to Argentina and more precisely to Boca Juniors, should not be extended by the Lyon management. Performing well and appreciated by supporters, the Argentine left-back should leave this winter, in the event of a satisfactory offer, or next summer at the end of his contract.

With all these departures of emblematic players and locker room executives, a new era will open next season at Olympique Lyonnais, which hopes to reduce its payroll sufficiently to remain in Ligue 1.