Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diawara linked with Red Star switch

Mahamadou Diawara, the France-and-Mali midfielder currently at Lyon, has been linked with a move to French Ligue 2 side Red Star FC.

The 21-year-old central midfielder returned to Lyon in June after completing a season-long loan at Belgian club Royal Antwerp. That spell ended on 30 June, with Diawara rejoining the Ligue 1 club after Antwerp paid a reported €250,000 loan fee.

Diawara has yet to feature for Lyon this season, having made no appearances in the club’s two possible Champions League qualifying matches. He remains under contract at the Groupama Stadium until 30 June 2028.

The midfielder joined Lyon from Paris Saint-Germain’s under-19 side in July 2023 on a free transfer. Since then, he has also spent time on loan at Le Havre, before moving to Antwerp for the 2025-26 campaign.

A move to Red Star would represent a switch from Ligue 1 to Ligue 2 for Diawara, although the available information does not indicate whether the proposed transfer would be permanent or temporary. There is also no reported fee or probability attached to the rumour.

Diawara, born in Longjumeau, stands 1.87m tall and is left-footed. His current market value is listed at €1m, while his Lyon contract remains in place for almost two more seasons.