Lyon, who are predominantly owned by Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor of the Eagle Football Group, splashed out £150 million on new recruits in the summer window.

Lyon have been handed a provisional relegation to Ligue 2, the second division of French football, and will observe a transfer ban following an audit of their finances. The Direction Nationale du Controle de Gestion (DNCG,

Seven-time French champion Lyon risks relegation to the second tier at the end of the season and has been hit with a transfer ban because of financial irregularities. The decision to provisionally relegate Lyon to Ligue 2 followed an audit of the club's finances by the French league's soccer watchdog,