Rival director reveals attempt was made to snatch Milan loan star from Lyon

Zachary Athekame has had a great start to the season with Lyon, but he could have ended up at one of their rivals.

Athekame was acquired by AC Milan from Young Boys last year and – after a season under Massimiliano Allegri where starts were infrequent – the decision was made to loan him out for 2026-27.

The idea behind sending him to Lyon is that he have the opportunity to play more consistently and develop in an equally competitive environment, under a coach in Paulo Fonseca who does not mind trusting young players.

The start has been very encouraging, so much so that Athekame has earned a call-up and first minutes with the senior Swiss national team. With OL, he has already amassed four goal contributions (two goals and as many assists) in six starts.

Meanwhile, the newspaper L’Equipe interviewed Marseille sporting director Gregory Lorenzi. He revealed that OM were close to signing Athekame, who ultimately chose Lyon. His words are via MilanNews.

“Athekame signed with Lyon. Genesio [the coach] spoke to him, I spoke to him… We had video calls with others, but it wasn’t possible to continue,” Lorenzi said. Now, Milan can watch his development at Lyon with a calm conscience, having made what seems to be the right call.