Fred shuns EPL interest; stays at Lyon

LYON, France — Brazilian striker Fred said Thursday he had turned down three transfer offers, and will remain at French champion Lyon.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said last week that the club had received offers from French rival Paris Saint-Germain and English teams Portsmouth and Tottenham for the striker.

"I made the decision today, after the last offer from Tottenham," Fred said. "I didn’t get an offer good enough for me. I’m no longer talking about a transfer. I’m 100 per cent at Lyon, and focused on my work."

Aulas had said that PSG had offered 10 million euros (C$14.8 million), Portsmouth 12 million euros (C$17.8 million) and Tottenham 15 million euros (C$22.2 million), and that Fred could choose among them.

Fred has scored 25 goals in 56 league games for Lyon, but coach Alain Perrin has preferred Karim Benzema and Milan Baros in attack this season.

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