Lyon's Brazilian striker Michel Bastos said Thursday he was ready to leave the Ligue 1 side following comments concerning him made by club president Jean-Michel Aulas in the press.
"I'm saddened by comments made about me. I've never had problems with the group in all the teams I've been part of," he wrote on his Twitter account.
"I respect the club a lot and am saddened by all that. If I'm a problem I prefer to leave in order not to be a bother."
In an interview with regional daily Le Progres, Aulas criticised Cris, Kim Kallstrom, Aly Cissokho and Bastos, four of the club's highest paid players.
He said Bastos was "a textbook case". "But with two years to go to the World Cup in Brazil he's going to get much better, believe me," said Aulas.
Baston, who played the 2010 World Cup as a left back, a post he has been reluctant to take in Lyon, has been accused by fans of "choosing his matches".
He has played 26 Ligue 1 matches in 2011-2012 but has not played any of the club's last six ties.
Bastos joined Lyon from Lille in 2009 for 18 million euros, and extended his contract for two years until 2015.
Source: AFP
