At the end of the 2007–08 season, he went on to make twenty–seven appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. Following this, Makoun's performances attracted interest from clubs around Europe, including Premier League clubs Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Serie A club Juventus, and French clubs AS Monaco, Marseille, and Lyon. He became a firm fixture in the Lille side, making more than 150 appearances for the team in the league, and playing UEFA Champions League football. Upon leaving the club, Lille pay tribute to him, praising his courage, commitment and his loyalty. Lyon On 16 June 2008, Makoun signed with seven-time French champions Olympique Lyonnais on a four-year contract, where he re–joined Manager Claude Puel shirtly afrer. The fee was worth €14 million with Lille set to receive another €1 million based on incentives. During his time with Lyon, Makoun wore the number 17 shirt, which was retired in 2003 after the death of Cameroonian midfielder Marc-Vivien Foé. Makoun, also from Cameroon and a native of Yaoundé, stated on wearing the number: "In memory of Marc, for me and for the whole Cameroon, this will be for something." Makoun started well on his debut for Olympique Lyonnais when he scored the club's first goal of the season, in a 3–0 win over Toulouse. Two weeks later on 23 August 2008, Makoun scored his second goal of the game, in a 2–0 win against Grenoble Foot. Since making his debut for Olympique Lyonnais, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the side, playing in the midfield position. In a UEFA Champions League match against Steaua Bucharest, Makoun set up the club's first goal of the game when they were 2–1, as they made a comeback with a 5–2 win. A month later on 25 November 2008, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal, in a 2–1 win against Fiorentina. He then scored two goals in two matches between 8 February 2009 and 15 February 2009 against Nice and Le Havre (which he also made a double assist during the match). Makoun scored two more goals in March, scoring against his former club, Lille in the round of 16 of Coupe de France, which Lyon lost 3–2 and Barcelona in the last-sixteen second leg of the UEFA Champions League, which Lyon lost 5–2. Two months later on 12 May 2009, he scored twice for the