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Olympique Lyon are the latest team to join the race for DeAndre Yedlin, but they've gone a step farther -- they've actually submitted a bid to MLS and the Seattle Sounders. L'Equipe first reported Lyon's bid and Goal.com has confirmed it.
Lyon's bid is for a reported $3.4 million. There is no word yet out of MLS or the Sounders as to how much they value Yedlin at and whether that will be enough to snag Yedlin.
AS Roma and Genoa are the two teams that have been most heavily linked to Yedlin, with both reportedly submitting bids. But Yedlin has interest from all over Europe, having wowed teams with his potential at the World Cup. Lyon may be the latest team involved, and have gone far enough to submit a bid, but they certainly will not be the last.
To this point, most teams linked to Yedlin are said to be considering loaning him out right away, whether that is back to the Sounders or to another smaller club. There is no word yet on whether Lyon plan on loaning him out if they sign him.
Last season, Miguel Lopes was Lyon's primary right back, but he was there on loan from Sporting Lisbon and there have been few rumblings about his returning to France for another year. Lyon also have Mehdi Zeffane, a promising 22-year-old Frenchman, but he struggled some in his 14 appearances last season. While he had some good matches, he also had some bad ones and opinion is split on how good he can be. He is also capable of playing left back, so he may not necessarily stand in Yedlin's way even if the Frenchman proves to be good.
Lyon are one of Ligue 1's bigger clubs, and finished fifth last season. They also have a tradition of signing young players and then selling them to bigger clubs so while Lyon is a big enough club and one the Americans would be happy to have a fixture at, Yedlin would hardly be stuck there if he signs there and plays extraordinarily well.
The Yedlin transfer saga doesn't figure to end soon. Plenty of teams are interested and plenty are going to put in bids. Lyon just happens to be the latest, and it's not a bad option.