Lyon hesitant to let Beauvue bolt despite strong transfer interest

With his future at the Stade des Lumieres in question, Lyon striker Claudio Beauvue has yet to receive permission to leave during the January window, according to club president Jean-Michel Aulas.

On the heels of a 17-goal performance last season for Guingamp, Beauvue has had trouble acclimating at Lyon, prompting unrest from the Gaudeloupe-born forward and interest from Spaniards Celta Vigo.

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"We wanted for Celta Vigo or others - because there are other candidates, notably English - to bring us as much as we paid Guingamp," Aulas told RMC, as translated by theScore.

Beauvue, 27, joined Les Gones in the summer from the Breton minnows for a modest fee of €5 million, appearing in 19 of Lyon's 20 league matches with five goals and a pair of assists.

"But me personally, I would have liked to keep Claudio," Aulas added. "I like him a lot. He scored 27 goals last year (in all competitions) - he's not just anybody."

Amid criticism from Lyon supporters throughout his maiden campaign with the Rhone-Alpes giants, Beauvue's goal celebration during Saturday's 4-1 defeat of bottom-dwellers Troyes indicated that he's frustrated with the lack of support.

Under Aulas' instruction, Beauvue took to Twitter to apologize for antagonizing fans, saying, "I want to apologize for the loyal fans of Lyon and thank them for their support."

Even with Beauvue's tenure at the club uncertain, Aulas concedes that he would rather the player stay at Lyon, despite repeated offers from Celta that have failed to impress the club president.

"He's a very good player but he's lacking confidence," Aulas said. "For the moment, he doesn't have our blessing to leave."