Zachary Athekame (21) has enjoyed an excellent start to life at Olympique Lyonnais. The Switzerland international joined over the summer on a season-long loan from AC Milan. The Italian club weren’t necessarily keen to include a buy option in that deal and it has been clear to see why.

Brought in to replace Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who would later go on to join Everton, Athekame has quickly become a key player under Paulo Fonseca. In just nine games in all competitions, he has already scored twice and registered three assists. Unlike many attacking modern full-backs, he has also been very tidy defensively.

AC Milan were set to welcome him back to the San Siro at the end of the season in any case, given that no buy option was included in the deal. However, RMC Sport understands that the Italian giants held an interest in bringing the right-back back early. Despite that, Athekame is set to see out the season at Lyon, the publication adds.