The King returns! Georges Mikautadze signs for Olympique Lyonnais

King Georges has returned to Lyon! Following an outstanding Euro 2024 campaign with Georgia that saw him reach the last 16 and  finish among the six joint top scorers, Georges Mikautadze has officially signed with Olympique Lyonnais. The transfer, agreed with FC Metz, is worth €18.5m, to which may be added a top-up of up to €4.5m, as well as a profit share of €1m on any future transfer and 15% on any capital gains made.

It will be a homecoming for the Lyon-born forward who became the first player born in France to score three goals at a major international tournament for another national side.

A homecoming for Le Roi Georges at Lyon

Mikautadze joined the Olympique Lyonnais youth academy at the age of eight, but had to go through a heart-breaking rejection by the age of 15. It was a set-back that the Georgian later admitted "shattered my childhood dream". He then moved to Metz, where he played for the reserve side before being sent to Belgium on loan.

Metz manager László Bölöni took a chance on the youngster in a bid to fire Metz back to Ligue 1 in the 2022-2023 season. Mikautadze took full advantage, completing a sensational season in Ligue 2 as the league's top scorer (23 goals) and clinching the second tier's player of the season award.

A proven Ligue 1 goalscorer

The Georgian international made his Ligue 1 debut against Rennes at the start of last season, showcasing his ability as a dangerous dribbler, with physicality, speed, and a deadly finishing ability in only a handful of games before joining Dutch giants Ajax last summer.

A difficult spell with the struggling Eredivisie side saw Mikautadze return to Ligue 1 in January on loan. He certainly re-hit the ground running with Les Grenats at the back-end of the 2023-2024 season, scoring 14 goals and providing four assists.

Mikautadze will be expected to join Lyon's pre-season training camp in Austria following a period of rest after his Euro 2024. Les Gones face notable opponents in FC St Pauli and Torino FC, before heading to Germany to face Union Berlin and then Arsenal in the Emirates cup.

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