Lyon may be on the verge of signing Lisandro Lopez, but admit it will be difficult to sign their other targets.

Argentina striker Lopez is expected in Lyon over the coming days to tie up his 24million euro move from Porto and he is being seen as a direct replacement for the departed Karim Benzema, who will be unveiled tonight as Real Madrid's latest purchase.

Les Gones would like to add another forward to their squad but so far their attempts to entice Michel Bastos from Lille, Loic Remy from Nice and Andre-Pierre Gignac from Toulouse have been thwarted.

And Bernard Lacombe, the advisor to club president Jean-Michel Aulas, knows it will not be easy to conclude any deals for the trio of targets.

On left-winger Bastos, Lacombe said: "It is going to be very, very expensive.

"They are asking for 18million euros - for me, 18million euros is too dear."

Forward Remy joined Nice from Lyon last summer for 8million euros but it is likely to cost the Rhone club double that to get the France hopeful back.

"It is a bit annoying to pay almost double for a player we sold a year ago," Lacombe added in L'Equipe.

Toulouse striker Gignac, the top scorer in Ligue 1 last season, would be a real coup for Lyon but any transfer is unlikely to materialise.

"Gignac is a very special player but that is a complicated affair," Lacombe said.

"Toulouse president (Olivier) Sadran seems to be making it his intention not to sell him. For the moment, there is no new offer on our part."

Lyon are believed to have already made a bid in excess of 10million euros for the France international but Toulouse coach Alain Casanova does not intend to let his star player leave.

"He will have the time to go to a big club - he still has work to do with us," Casanova said.

"People talk about the extraordinary potential of Benzema. I believe his (Gignac's) is at least the equivalent."