Moussa Dembele set to join Atletico Madrid on loan

Lyon striker Moussa Dembele looks set to sign for Atletico Madrid on loan, with a £30m fee agreed between the two clubs should the La Liga leaders opt to make the move permanent.

Diego Simeone has been in the market for a striker since it was confirmed Atletico had terminated the contract of Diego Costa. The club confirmed the player had requested to be dismissed for 'personal reasons', leaving Simeone in need of a replacement forward.

And just a few weeks on, Goal report that the void left by Costa has already been filled, with France Under-21 international Dembele set to join the club on loan until the end of the 2020/21 season.

Should Atletico wish to make the switch permanent, a fee of £30m has been agreed between the two sides.

Dembele first made a name for himself in the Championship with Fulham, with his 15 league goals in 2015/16 enough to secure a move to Celtic. The Frenchman enjoyed two fruitful seasons in the Scottish Premiership - notching 51 goals in 94 appearances for the club - before a £20m switch to Lyon.

The 24-year-old has struggled to find the net at times this season - scoring just once in his 16 appearances - however, an impressive 45 goals in 108 games since joining Lyon in 2018 has been enough to secure a move to the Wanda Metropolitano.

Lyon's sporting director Juninho recently confirmed the Frenchman was set to depart the Ligue 1 outfit this window, telling French broadcasting company Telefoot that he wouldn't force Dembele to stay if he wanted to move on.

"Moussa came to see me; he thinks it is the time to change club," Juninho said. "He told me he has lost a bit of motivation.

"It wasn't something we foresaw. Moussa is a player I appreciate a lot and we counted on him. But at the same time to keep someone who doesn't want to live in an intense way these next five months here is not ideal."