Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas insists no-one at the club feels any bitterness towards Karim Benzema who is on the verge of joining Real Madrid.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas insists no-one at the club feels any bitterness towards Karim Benzema who is on the verge of joining Real Madrid.

The 21-year-old is set to join Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo in signing a six-year contract at the Bernabeu after his French employers agreed to a 35 million euro (£30million) approach from Madrid, who with this deal will see their summer spending spree pass the 200 million euro (£171.5million) mark.

Les Gones had always claimed Benzema would stay at the Stade Gerland for at least one more season but Aulas admitted they could not stand in his way when the Spanish giants came calling.

"Karim had the possibility of leaving because it was Real Madrid, his dream since he was a kid," Aulas told Le 10 Sport.

"When he came back from holiday and the chance to join Kaka and Ronaldo was offered to him, things changed.

"He really wanted to try this adventure and I confess I would have also gone if I was in his place.

"Everything happened very harmoniously because we couldn't deny him this.

"Negotiations were quite quick and I knew that the offers would be decisive.

"It's also a sort of respect for the academy. It should be a source of pride to have him play in such a club and not a sign of jealousy."

Speculation has been rife that Benzema's move to the Bernabeu will see former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy move the other way.

Aulas, who has a good relationship with his Madrid counterpart Florentino Perez, claims Lyon have the funds to sign a big-name player but refused to even hint at possible targets.

"I can't get into that," he said. "These type of affairs have to be conducted in a confidential manner.

"It's already quite complicated. Even before Karim's transfer, we created a recruitment plan with three or four international players.

"There will be signings. We are not under pressure really because we know who we want and we have the means to have them.

"There are no financial worries. On June 26 our gross treasury was 116 million euros, before Karim's departure.

"OL's financial situation is absolutely not in question. We will prove that very quickly. The next signings will satisfy the fans."

Aulas' right-hand man, Bernard Lacombe, is less optimistic that Les Gones have the financial means to compete on the international stage, especially following the departures of Benzema and Brazilian duo Fred and Juninho.

The Lyon director was very disappointed about Benzema's transfer and believes the Ligue 1 giants, who ended the season without the title for the first time in eight years, could struggle.

"If there was someone who I really thought would not leave, it was certainly him," Lacombe told L'Equipe. "It's a wrench. I thought that he would leave next year instead.

"We talked about it a lot with the boy, but sometimes there are things which put themselves in the middle.

"We have lost three immense players who will be very difficult to replace.

"The teams over the past few years have been more competitive but we didn't know this until after. Today it's impossible to compete with Real, Barca or Chelsea.

"In France we are a club with means but in Europe, although we are not quite poor relations, we can't fight. You realise that when you see that Real's first two transfers are almost equal to our entire budget."

Lacombe revealed Lyon are closing in on Andre-Pierre Gignac - who is also being linked to Manchester United - despite Toulouse president Olivier Sadran's insistence he does not want to sell the striker, last year's leading goalscorer in Ligue 1.

"There are negotiations, " he added. "The player wants to come to us. We have spoken about it with him, his agent and his father,

"We think it's possible."