Ligue 1: "A change of ownership is possible after 31/12/2014" (Gervais Martel, RC Lens)

"We will discuss, with the DNCG (French National Directorate of Management Control), during the first week of January 2015 the possibilities for the club during the winter transfer window. A change of shareholder is possible after 31/12/2014. If it is not (current majority shareholder) Hafiz Mammadov, it will be another group that already has capital approved for the month of January 2015," said Gervais Martel, president of RC Lens (Ligue 1), on 17/12/2014.

RC Lens was received by the French DNCG on 16/12/2014. Following this hearing, the DNCG decided to lift the ban on recruitment the body had enacted against RC Lens on 05/08/2014. The club, whose payroll is still frozen, announced the imminent signing of two new players and the contract extension of five players of its squad on 17/12/2014.

"I want to salute Hafiz Mammadov, who still invested €24m (into RC Lens) for a year and a half. The latest €2.5m payment arrived late last week. The DNCG took note of these encouraging (financial) signs, even if the road is not over yet," said Gervais Martel.

• RC Lens is 19^th in Ligue 1 after 18…