Real Madrid stars, Arsenal ace, and Barcelona man – How Lyon could line-up if they hadn’t sold their best players

For years, Europe's top clubs have turned to Lyon for the next big thing.

Tonight - live on talkSPORT - they can show their former stars why they should have stayed with a Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.

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Last summer, Real Madrid snapped up 25-year-old left-back Ferland Mendy for £47million.

And he wasn't the only one moving clubs with Tottenham signing Tanguy Ndombele and Real Betis landing Nabil Fekir following his failed move to Liverpool two years ago.

They became the latest in a long string of talented players to seal a big-money move away from the French club.

Chelsea fans will remember former stars Michael Essien and Florent Malouda came from Lyon, while Barcelona have the Ligue 1 side to thank for legendary full-back Eric Abidal.

But, impressively, the French side have made the Champions League semi-finals without them as Houssem Aouar, Moussa Dembele, and Jason Denayer come to the fore.

Here, marvelbet369.com takes a look at how Lyon could line-up if they kept all of their amazing talent.

Formation: 4-1-2-1-2 (Midfield diamond)

Hugo Lloris - (Sold to Tottenham for £10.7m in 2012)

Spurs won the race for his signature in 2012 and he has been worth every penny of the fee.

The 33-year-old, now captain of the club and France, made more than 150 appearances for Lyon during a four-year spell at the club.

He reached the Champions League final in 2018/19 and won the World Cup in 2018.

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Leo Dubois - (Still at Lyon)

The right-back, who joined Lyon from Nantes last summer, has enjoyed a fine first two seasons with Les Gones.

The 25-year-old caught the eye of the French national team selectors and has since made his debut for Les Bleus.

Dubois recently saw himself linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

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Dejan Lovren - (Sold to Southampton for £8.5m in 2013)

Say what you like about Lovren, but in the last couple of years, he has won the Premier League, Champions League and reached the World Cup final.

The ex-Liverpool defender, who has just signed for Zenit St Petersburg, made 72 league appearances for Lyon and joined Southampton for £8.5m in 2013, before sealing a £20m switch to Anfield one year later.

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Samuel Umtiti (Sold to Barcelona for £22m in 2016)

He spent 14 years at Lyon before Barcelona came knocking in 2016.

The France defender joined Les Gones' academy in 2002 and made more than 100 appearances for the club.

Tottenham fans are still haunted by a stunning Europa League strike by the player, then a left-back, which whistled into the top corner in 2013.

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Ferland Mendy (Sold to Real Madrid for £47m in 2019)

Real Madrid have identified Mendy as their long-term replacement for Marcelo.

The 25-year-old is equally as attacking as the Brazilian, with a wicked left-foot to go with it.

He started 19 LaLiga games last season as the club won the title ahead of Barcelona.

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Corentin Tolisso - (Sold to Bayern Munich for £36.5m in 2017)

The Frenchman joined the Germans for a then Bundesliga record three years ago and will now face his former club in the Champions League semi-final.

However, his career in Bavaria has been stunted by a ruptured crucial ligament in his right knee, which ruled him out for most of the 2018/19 season.

Meanwhile, this season, he's also had calf and ankle issues.

The France international graduated from the Lyon academy, joining as a kid in 2007 before leaving ten years later.

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Tanguy Ndombele - (Sold to Tottenham for £42m in 2019)

This deal hasn't quite gone to plan for all parties but in fits and starts the midfielder has shown exceptional quality in N17.

If he can find fitness and form in north London he can still dominate in the Premier League.

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Miralem Pjanic - (Sold to Roma for £9.8m in 2011)

The 30-year-old midfielder has gone on to achieve big things in Italy since leaving Lyon in 2011.

First, he joined Roma, where he spent five successful years, before Juventus landed him for £28.5m in 2016.

He has won Serie A in every season with the Old Lady and will now move to Barcelona, swapping places with Arthur.

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Nabil Fekir (Sold to Real Betis for £18m in 2019)

We all remember when his move to Liverpool fell through at the eleventh hour - it was pretty much a done deal.

But now he's over in LaLiga starring for Real Betis as Giovani Lo Celso's replacement.

Seven goals and four assists were a decent start for the Frenchman.

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Alexandre Lacazette - (Sold to Arsenal for £45m in 2017)

The Gunners broke the bank for the striker three summers ago and he has proved a good signing, but has faded a little.

The 29-year-old, who joined Lyon's academy in 2003, won the Gunners' Player of the Year award in 2018/19 but now looks set to be sold on by manager Mikel Arteta with Juventus interested.

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Karim Benzema - (Sold to Real Madrid for £31m in 2009)

Lyon's most high-profile academy product is probably Benzema.

The 32-year-old spent his entire youth career at Les Gones, joining in 1996 before making his senior debut in 2004.

Madrid came knocking in 2009 and, for much of the last decade, he has been the No. 1 striker at the Bernabeu.

With Cristiano Ronaldo out of the way he scored 21 league goals and got eight assists in their title winning 2019/20 season.

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