5 players who could be on their way out of Ligue 1

Ligue 1 is quite a captivating league for the scouts who take notes of various prodigious talents to groom them abroad. Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane and Eden Hazard showcased their talent at the French top division before making a move to other European countries.

There were plenty of rumours surrounding various Ligue 1 players last summer--- some players left, whereas, some of them were forced to stay put in their respective clubs.

The likes of Bernardo Silva, Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso, Bernard Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayako, Serge Aurier and Maxime Gonalons made a move away from their respective French clubs last summer.

But, Fabinho, Thomas Lemar and Nabil Fekir were forced to stay at Monaco and Lyon because the clubs did not want to lose all their best players.

Keeping those players will prove to be tough for the clubs in the coming months because foreign clubs are ready to wrap up the deal at any time possible. We take a look at 5 players who could move away from the French league in the coming transfer windows.

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#5 Lucas Moura (Paris Saint-Germain)

Lucas Moura

Lucas Moura's contract with PSG runs till the summer of 2019. But the Brazilian is forcing a move away from the French capital because of the limited 6 appearances this season. He has been deemed surplus to requirements by Unai Emery following the summer arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Lucas Moura rejected Manchester United and joined the French club in a £38 million deal from his hometown club Sao Paulo in 2013. He has gone on to make 229 appearances for PSG, scoring 46 times in the process.

Lucas' former teammate Alex advised the winger to join English heavyweights Arsenal, but it is understood the winger has agreed to join the Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan.

Should the 25-year-old move across the ocean in a lucrative deal to join the Chinese club, Lucas will be paired up with Brazilian compatriots Hulk, Oscar and Alexandre Pato in the Asian continent.

#4 Malcom (Bordeaux)

Malcom is setting the Ligue 1 on fire

The Sao Paulo born attacking midfielder rose through the academy ranks of Corinthians at Brazil. Malcom has the abilities of a bonafide matchwinner: pace, intelligence, movement, vision and finishing.

His tenure at Corinthians was never about prolific goalscoring, but the ability to take on defenders and beat them with his quick feet and trickery. The Brazilian, who signed a new contract until 2021 at the French club, is being tracked closely by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.

Last season when he came in, Malcom showed some moments of brilliance, but he was never really adjudged as a game changer. This season, with a slightly different tactical approach, the manager has allowed the 20-year-old to thrive in a setup where he can score more and be the team's creative fulcrum. The forward has bagged 7 goals and 5 assists in 18 appearances this season.

Bayern Munich have registered their interest on the Bordeaux attacker who is setting the Ligue 1 alight. On the other hand, Mourinho wants to get rid off Henrikh Mkhitaryan who never really settled down at Old Trafford and going for the Brazilian attacker makes complete sense.

The attacker might be tempted by the Premier League but said the focus is on getting better, "Even when I was in Corinthians these speculations were already happening. I have a calm mind about that. I have a focused thought in the field and I leave it to my manager and my family to take care of. Then, who knows, if a proposal comes up I think In going out, but now it's playing football."

#3 Fabinho (AS Monaco)

Fabinho

Fabinho is a versatile player and a key member of Monaco's squad but when many of his teammates including Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Bernard Mendy and Tiemoue Bakayako decided to move, Fabinho stayed when his team wanted him the most. The Brazilian sits back in front of the defence more often than not and dictates the play.

He has not quite impressed, compared to last season, but Fabinho is still sure to attract interest from many clubs across Europe. The Monaco midfielder is expected to leave the reigning Ligue 1 Champions before the start of next season.

Paris Saint Germain and Manchester United were heavily linked with the midfielder last summer, but ultimately they were forced to spend the cash elsewhere. The Brazilian also spoke about his desire of playing for Atletico Madrid in the future. Securing his services is not going to be easy as Italian side Juventus have become the latest club to register interest in the player.

In a recent interview, the Monaco midfielder said, 'It should be my last season at Monaco. Atletico or PSG? I’m a Monaco player.'

'I need to prove I can play on teams like that. We'll see in May. I used to read the papers. I don't anymore. I'm OK with that.'

Fabinho kicked off his professional career at Brazilian club Rio Ave. He also had a one-year loan stint at Real Castilla before making a move to the French club. Initially, at Monaco, he spent two years on loan from the Brazilian club and made his move permanent in a €6 million deal during the summer of 2015.

#2 Nabil Fekir (Lyon)

Nabil Fekir

Nabil Fekir is turning the heads of some European heavyweights including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United with stunning goalscoring form by netting 11 goals in the Ligue 1 this term. But the Gunners are the only long-term admirers of the Frenchman.

Promoted from the Lyon academy in 2013, Fekir went on to make 134 appearances and has scored on 47 occasions. Lyon's president Jean-Michel Aulas said that the club captain is tied to the club till 2020 and the forward is happy with the current situation and the role given by the French outfit, dismissing a possible move to Emirates in the next two transfer windows.

The 24-year-old had the chance to represent either France or Algeria at the international level. But Fekir, being born and brought up at Lyon, had no hesitation to represent his home country when the national team came calling. He made his international debut in 2015 in a 3-1 defeat to Brazil at Stade De France.

Given the current contract conundrum of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil at Arsenal, Fekir heads the list on the Gunners wishlist. Lyon have looked good in the last two years under Bruno Genesio and would look to carry that form guaranteeing Fekir another year of Champions League football. On the other hand, Arsenal have to find a way to tussle three to four competitors to match Fekir's ambition.

Any player of Fekir's quality will want to play Champions League football regularly. Should Arsenal qualify for the Champions League next season, they will be desperate to transfer the Lyon forward in as the chances of Sanchez and Ozil staying looks increasingly unlikely beyond next summer at Arsenal.

#1 Thomas Lemar (AS Monaco)

Thomas Lemar is on Arsenal's radar

Thomas Lemar is one of the hottest prospects up for grabs in the upcoming transfer window. Blessed with pace, incisiveness and the ability to drive in long rangers, Lemar has been hitting the headlines over the last two season at Stade Louis. He is a product of SM Caen who have one of the best youth setups in Europe.

The Frenchman was linked with a move away to Arsenal and Liverpool last summer, but the move never materialised as Monaco wanted a staggering 92 million pounds for the attacker.

At the end of the window, Arsenal had no other option other than agreeing to a £90 million deal and chose not to go ahead with it. On the other hand, Liverpool lined up Lemar as the potential replacement for Philippe Coutinho who looked set to move to Barcelona last summer.

Chelsea have now entered the race to sign for the 22-year-old by offering Batshuayi on loan in the opposite direction. Former Chelsea and current Monaco's vice president Vadim Vasilyev admitted that Lemar wanted to sign for either Arsenal or Liverpool in the summer. He could now act as an intermediary to smoothen the negotiations between Chelsea and Monaco.

Monaco will struggle to keep him beyond the next two transfer windows. It will be interesting where Lemar will end up as many teams up for his signature.