Lyon Reveal Madrid's Malouda Interest
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Real Madrid have entered the race to sign Florent Malouda and have made contact with Lyon, the French club have confirmed.
A deal with Chelsea looked set to be pushed through, but as the London club have yet to make a concrete offer other clubs have begun to show an interest.
Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas has now revealed that Madrid have made enquiries and could follow that up with an offer.
"Madrid have also asked about him and we have other clubs who are interested in signing him too," he said.
The Ligue 1 champions are insisting that they will only do business if the €25m asking price is met which may prove to be too steep for los Merengues.
Malouda is said to have set his heart on a move to Stamford Bridge, but a high level meeting has held up negotiations between the two clubs.
"If he leaves then it will be under the conditions that we have already declared," Aulas continued.
"At the moment, Chelsea have not given us the impression that they are going to wrap up any deal.
"They have told me that Peter Kenyon and Abramovich will meet in the next few days and then we will know what is going happen.
If no deal is reached with another club then Malouda will have to start the new season with Lyon, although that now appears to be highly unlikely.
"Of course, we are not ruling out that he will leave us," Aulas said after the player was allowed to miss training on Tuesday.
Madrid are keen to bolster the left-side of midfield and have been heavily linked with Arjen Robben, but are monitoring the market in case there is a problem with the deal for the Dutchman. -
Go Madrid, i rather Robben stay.
How can Malouda cost more then Robben?
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Chelsea make Malouda bid
Chelsea are reported to have made a considerable bid for Lyon and France winger Florent Malouda. The 27-year-old wants to leave the club for a new challenge but around £18 million is being asked for his services.
"Chelsea have come back with a strong offer and [Lyon Chairman] Jean-Michel Aulas could meet a Chelsea official in the next few hours," a Lyon spokesman said.
Malouda was also said to have left training early on Wednesday after the announcement was made. It is understood that Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon had assured the player that a bid would be made.
Aulas has gone on record saying he expects in the region of 25 million euros for the French League Player of the Year, using the context of Franck Ribery's move to Bayern Munich as justification for the price tag. He has also praised Malouda for his attitude after making clear his intentions to play for one of Europe's top clubs.