Former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic is reportedly in talks with an Italian side over a potential move.
The 37-year-old had his contract terminated terminated by Lyon on the eve of the Ligue 1 season last week just 18 months after joining the club.
Announcing the news in a statement, Les Gones wrote: ‘Nemanja Matic and OL end their collaboration. Thank you for all the great moments, Nemanja. Best of luck for the future.’
Matic is therefore available to be signed as a free agent this summer and, according to Sky Sports in Italy, he’s been in talks with the recently promoted Sassuolo over a switch to the Serie A.
The Serbian’s agent is understood to have held positive talks with the club’s coach Fabio Grosso and CEO Guovanni Carnevali this week.
If completed, the deal would see Matic return to the Italian top flight just a couple of years after he spent a season at Roma, where he made 50 appearances under Jose Mourinho.
Former Man United midfielder Nemanja Matic had his contract terminated by Lyon last week
The Serbian has been linked with a move to Serie A, with newly-promoted Sassuolo said to be interesting in signing him
Matic joined Lyon in January last year from Rennes and he made 55 appearances for them.
No reason has been given for why Lyon have ended their time together.
In June, Lyon were relegated to Ligue 2 because of their financial plight, having announced debts of £422million last October.
However, Les Gones appealed against their demotion and won, meaning they will play a 37th consecutive season in the top tier.
That decision also led to Crystal Palace ultimately losing their place in the Europa League as the two clubs had both shared John Textor as an owner.
Matic also found himself in hot water last season after being banned for two games for taping over a LGBTQ + logo during a match.
He covered the rainbow-coloured Ligue 1 logo on his shirt against Angers on the final day of the season – part of the league’s annual anti-homophobia campaign.
Matic also hit the headlines for a high-profile spat with United goalkeeper Andre Onana, calling him ‘one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history’ ahead of their Europa League clash, after the custodian claimed the Red Devils were ‘better than’ the Ligue 1 outfit.
The Serbian spent five seasons at Old Trafford, accumulating 189 appearances, although he was unable to build on the two Premier League titles, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup that he won with Chelsea.
Midfielder Matic was an instrumental part of the Chelsea side which won the title under Jose Mourinho in 2014-15, then again under Antonio Conte in 2016-17.
