Galatasaray winger Wilfried Zaha is close to joining Lyon on loan.
A season-long loan is not yet finalised but the two clubs are nearing an agreement.
A move to France would enable Zaha to avoid the tax complications he would have encountered by returning to the UK.
The 31-year-old attracted interest from Leicester City and former club Crystal Palace this summer, but returned to Galatasaray training in mid-August in the absence of a deal to leave the club.
Leicester had been working on a loan for Zaha, while Palace also explored the possibility, but a potential return to the Premier League was complicated because of the the tax liabilities he would incur once on UK shores again.
Zaha joined Galatasaray as a free agent last summer following the expiration of his Crystal Palace contract but he has fallen down the pecking order in Istanbul.
The winger has made 43 appearances for Galatasaray and scored 10 goals. However only half of those appearances were starts and this has sparked interest from elsewhere.
Lyon are owned by John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings, who are also the largest shareholders in Zaha’s former club Palace.
Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season to qualify for the Europa League. They have begun the season with league defeats to Rennes and Monaco.
Across two spells with Palace either side of an unsuccessful stint at Manchester United, Zaha scored 90 goals and provided 62 assists in 458 games.
(Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)
