Slimani joins Lyon from Leicester - Dembélé headed to Atletico Madrid

Olympique Lyon have confirmed on Wednesday that the club has signed Leicester City striker Islam Slimani. The 32-year-old striker joins OL on a free transfer and is expected to replace Moussa Dembélé, the striker will join Atlético Madrid on loan.

Update: Atlético Madrid have now confirmed that Dembélé will join the club on loan from Olympique Lyon until the end of the season. Dembélé has struggled this season scoring just one goal in 16 Ligue 1 games (670 minutes played). Furthermore, the forward is currently out with a fractured arm until February. But with Diego Costa having left the club, Atléti were in need of another forward and hope that Dembélé can fill the void. 

Slimani had a successful spell at Monaco

Slimani joined Leicester from Sporting in the summer of 2016 in a deal worth €31 million. The Algerian forward, however, never fulfilled his potential playing for the Foxes (13 goals & seven assists in 47 games) and spent much of his time at the club out on loan. 

The striker's most successful loan spell was last season at Monaco. There the Algerian national team player (30 goals in 69 games) had a successful spell scoring nine goals and seven assists in 18 Ligue 1 games. As a result, returning to France was a high priority for the forward. 

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