Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah has shrugged off reports that he is close to returning to Italian football. Recent media reports have linked Appiah with a move to his former club Juventus or Brescia. But the 28-year-old Fenerbahce midfielder, who is visiting his doctors in Italy insists he is still contracted to his Turkish club. “I am a player of Fenerbahce and the reports in the news and on some websites about a possible move to Juventus is completely inaccurate,” Appiah told Fenerbahce's official website. “I am only here in Italy to see my doctors who are helping me recuperate from injury. “I have not met officials of any club or spoken to anybody about a move because I am still a player of Fenerbahce. “My only concentration now is that I want to return to full fitness and I hope I can finally put these transfer rumours to rest.” Appiah is recuperating from a knee problem after undergoing surgery last year. No timeline has been set for his return to action. Meanwhile deputy captain John Mensah has been signed on Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyon from Rennes for €8.4million. Mensah, 25, signed a five-year contract at Stade Gerland and is looking forward to the challenge of playing for such an illustrious club. He becomes the third Ghanaian in history to play for the club following in the footsteps of Abedi "Pele" and more recently Michael Essien, now at Chelsea. "These are major players but I hope to do better than they did," he said. "It's not going to be easy for me but I'll do my best. "I'm looking forward to linking up with (manager) Claude Puel, who is one of the best managers in France and has a great future in the game." The stand-in Black Stars captain says he opted for the French Champions after turning down offers to play in the English Premier League where he was linked to Portsmouth and Wigan. "I had a few offers, mostly from English clubs but I opted for Lyon on the insistence of my agent," explained Mensah. Source: ghanasoccer.net