Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier remains hopeful that he can keep both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Stephane Ruffier at the club beyond the summer.
The 23-year-old striker and the 26-year-old goalkeeper are two of the most in-demand players at Les Verts, with the latter being linked with a return to former club AS Monaco.
However, Galtier is positive that he can persuade both men to stay at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
"[Aubameyang]'s under contract. He has been given permission to leave, but there is a value attached for that permission to be granted. If I can keep him, then of course I would like to," Galtier told RMC.
"I dare to hope [that Ruffier will] stay. Stephane is fully committed to the project. He wished, like everyone else, to play in Europe. He will, and I hope to keep him."
Aubameyang has scored 19 league goals this season.
Written by
Matt Cotton
Matt Cotton
