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Zachary Athekame is set to join Lyon on a season-long loan, according to a report, as an agreement has been reached with AC Milan. Ruben Amorim opted not to use Athekame against Inter or Chelsea, which is something that Gazzetta dello Sport pointed out this morning. Now we know why, as advanced negotiations were ongoing for a loan move for the 2026-27 season. Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial! According to Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sport, Lyon have reached an agreement with Milan for the signing of the Swiss international on a season-long loan (not paid). There will be no buy-out clause included in the deal, and the salary will be covered by the French side. Playing time pursuit Given the formula of the deal, it’s clear that the Rossoneri are loaning him out for playing time. Alexis Saelemaekers is the starter on the right as far as Amorim is concerned, and lately he has also been testing Samuel Chukwueze in that role. In other words, there wouldn’t have been any space for Athekame (or very little at least), and a loan move thus makes a lot of sense. Depending on how he performs, Lyon might open talks over a permanent deal next summer, but only time will tell on that one. David Odogu is the other player who wasn’t used against Inter or Chelsea, so maybe he’s heading for a similar move too.