Lyon lure Gomis from St-Etienne

UEFA Champions League hopefuls Olympique Lyonnais have confirmed the €13m signing of France striker Bafétimbi Gomis on a five-year deal from local rivals AS Saint-Etienne.

'I'm not worried'
The 23-year-old's arrival follows Lyon's earlier €24m swoop for Lisandro López in a club-record deal from FC Porto as they moved decisively to rebuild their attack following Karim Benzema's departure for Real Madrid CF. The fee could rise to €15m based on performances and Gomis expressed his delight at the deal, despite joining from Lyon's traditional foes. "I'm not worried," he said. "First of all I'm a player and a club like Lyon can't be turned down. Lyon have won many trophies and play in the Champions League every year. My arrival here represents a big sporting development."

Big-money recruits
Gomis earned a place in France's squad for UEFA EURO 2008™ after scoring 16 league goals in the 2007/08 campaign and followed up with nine in Ligue 1 last term. He joins the roster of big-money recruits – also featuring the €18m Michel Bastos and €15m Aly Cissokho – made by Lyon this summer as they seek to bounce back from surrendering their Ligue 1 title after seven years on top. "We wanted a player to pair with Lisandro, to play in a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 system," explained coach Claude Puel. "Gomis suits this option. With his arrival our transfer dealings end. There could be some fine-tuning but no more signings."