Lille
West Ham keen on £25m-rated midfielder with 18 goal contributions last season
West Ham United have been linked with a move for Lille midfielder Jonathan Bamba. According to the Express, the Hammers want to sign Jesse Lingard permanently from Manchester United, but he wants to stay at Old Trafford. Bamba has been identified as an alternative to the 28-year-old attacking midfielder. Lingard was on loan at West Ham during the second half of last season and was a massive hit for the London club. Bamba was impressive with Lille last year, bagging seven goals and 11 assists across all competitions. Lille are demanding around £25 million for a player who is also being targeted by Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen. West Ham need to add more goals to their midfield, and Bamba could prove to be a superb acquisition. The 25-year-old has the ability to replace Lingard’s attack...
Ligue 1 2021/22 Season Preview: PSG aiming to wrestle title back from Lille
Lille staged a massive upset in 2020/21 as they defied the odds to beat overwhelming favourites Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 crown. Managed by Christophe Galtier, Les Dogues put together a memorable campaign to halt PSG’s three-year dominance in France. Although the sides went head-to-head throughout most of the season, Lille’s heroic 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes swayed the title race into their favour. However, after leading the Stade Pierre-Mauroy outfit to a historic success, Galtier took charge of Nice. Meanwhile, PSG backed Mauricio Pochettino during the summer transfer window. Following the signing of European Championship winner Gianluigi Donnarumma, Les Parisiens brought in Sergio Ramos and Giorginio Wijnaldum, all for free! The €70 million acquisition of Achraf Hakimi fro...
Report: Liverpool told to pay bargain £29m fee for ‘unstoppable’ 23-year-old
Liverpool are keen to sign Lille midfielder Renato Sanches, according to a report from L’Equipe (print edition, August 1, page 37). And Reds boss Jurgen Klopp can allegedly pick the 23-year-old former Bayern Munich ace up for just €35 million (£29 million). Central midfield is undoubtedly an area where Klopp will be keen to strengthen at Anfield. That’s after Gini Wijnaldum joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. And it seems as though the German may well have identified the man for the job. Liverpool allegedly want to sign Lille ace Sanches Liverpool to move in for Sanches? L’Equipe claims that the Merseyside outfit are keen to sign Sanches. The Ligue 1 outfit are demanding at least £29m for the Portugal international. Sanches has been absolutely brilliant for Lille since join...
Barcelona interested in 23yo Ligue 1 midfielder as Saul alternative – report
FC Barcelona are interested in signing Renato Sancho from Lille OSC. According to Spanish news outlet Diario AS, the Catalonian club is reportedly chasing the Portuguese’s signature to bolster their midfield. If the reported swap deal with Atletico Madrid for Saul Niguez and Antoine Griezmann doesn’t occur, manager Ronald Koeman is looking to bring in the 23-year-old who would be the perfect midfield recruit. Sanches is a versatile and dynamic midfielder who fits the bracket of what Koeman is looking for. The failure to land prime target Georginio Wijnaldum meant that the Spanish giants were forced to look elsewhere. Jorge Mendes, Sanches’ agent, could negotiate a loan deal with an obligation to buy next season, which would alleviate Barcelona’s economic situation. The Spanish club is in a...
Fabrizio Romano claims £31m Liverpool target wants to leave, club ready to sell
Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Renato Sanches amidst recent links with Liverpool, when speaking on his official Youtube channel channel. L’Equipe recently claimed that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is keen to bring the talented Portuguese midfielder to Anfield this summer. The 23-year-old’s career sparked back into life over the past 12 months after a really difficult few years. Sanchez made the huge move to Bayern Munich from Benfica in the summer of 2016 for a fee that could eventually rise to €45 million (£40.5 million), according to BBC Sport. The midfielder really struggled with the Bavarian giants, however. He spent an unsuccessful loan spell with Swansea City as well before joining Lille for around £17 million in the summer of 2019 (Bavarian Football Works). Fabrizio R...
Arsenal join Liverpool in race to sign 29-cap international shining at Euro 2020 – report
Arsenal have joined Liverpool in expressing an interest in signing Lille midfielder Renato Sanches this summer, 90min reports. The Gunners are planning an overhaul of their midfield options with Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi looking set to leave. They are in advanced negotiations to sign Anderlecht’s Albert Sambi Lokonga, but it is reported that they are eyeing more than one midfielder. It is now revealed that the club have made contact with Sanchez’s intermediaries to find out whether the Portuguese is available in the transfer market. Lille recently won the Ligue 1 title, but it is reported that they could sell Sanchez for a profit on the €25 million spent in 2019. Liverpool are also keeping tabs on the 29-cap international as they line up a replacement for the r...
Napoli to extend Victor Osimhen’s contract, insert release clause
Serie A club Napoli are planning to add one more year to Victor Osimhen’s contract and also insert a release clause. The Nigeria international signed a contract until 2024 worth €4.5M per season when he joined from Ligue 1 outfit Lille last summer. According to Corrmezzogiorno, the Partenopei are determined to extend the forward’s contact, whilst also inserting a release clause. Osimhen scored 10 goals in 24 league appearances for Napoli in the 2020/21 campaign. The 22-year-old missed over two months of action after sustaining a shoulder injury while on international duty with Nigeria. While recovering from the injury , the former Wolfsburg striker was authorized to spend time in Nigeria and tested positive for Covid-19 upon his return to Naples. The positive test, together with his should...
Report: Everton keen on recruiting French manager
Everton are currently in discussions with Christophe Galtier to become their next manager, according to BeFoot. The Toffees have been without a manager after Carlo Ancelotti left them in order to take charge of Real Madrid for a second stint. Galtier will be in high demand after sensationally guiding Lille to the Ligue 1 title last season and winning the Ligue 1 manager of the season award. The report did add that Galtier has reached an agreement to take charge of French club Nice though this has not deterred Everton. One could argue that Everton will be a better next career step for Galtier rather than Nice. The latter placed ninth in the French top-flight last season and even if the 54-year-old agrees to join them, he will have to embark on a long-term project to develop the outfit into ...
Arsenal to rival Tottenham Hotspur for in-demand Ligue 1 star valued at just £13m
Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have expressed interest in signing Lille defender Zeki Celik, Standard Sport claims. Celik had a superb 2020/21 season with Lille as they won the Ligue 1 title after a decade. He has two years left on his contract, but it is reported that he is open to transfer offers. Lille value the right-back at £13 million. Inter Milan have also been linked amid the uncertainty over Achraf Hakimi’s future. Sportslens view: Among the English trio, United appear the least likely destination for Celik, given Aaron Wan-Bissaka is an undisputed starter under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Both Gunners and Spurs need a regular right-back, and they could go head-to-head to land the Turkey international this summer. The Gunners look certain to part ways with Hector ...
Ex-Fiorentina defender: Victor Osimhen will perform under new boss
Former Fiorentina defender, Vittorio Tosto, is convinced that Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen can power Napoli to glory under newly appointed manager Luciano Spalletti. Spalletti, a former Inter Milan coach, was named the boss of the Parthenopeans, days after Gennaro Gattuso left the role following a disappointing end to the campaign. Gattuso was a key factor behind Osimhen’s decision to quit Lille for the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona last summer, with the club parting with a club-record fee of over €70 million. But injuries and coronavirus-related problems limited the attacker to 30 games across all competitions. The Super Eagles forward managed to find the back of the net ten times and provided three assists as Napoli missed out on Champions League qualification on the final day of the ...
Juventus’ hopes of bagging big target boosted as Milan sign 25-year-old
AC Milan’s acquisition of Mike Maignan from Lille ends a long-running saga over their goalkeeping situation. Maignan has signed a contract until June 2026 with the Serie A outfit, ending his six-year association with the newly crowned French champions. SL View Maignan had been strongly linked with Tottenham Hotspur over the past few weeks, with the club in the market for a replacement for Hugo Lloris. However, once Milan made their interest known, there was only ever likely to be one outcome. Maignan’s arrival in Milan coincides with Gianluigi Donnarumma’s departure this summer, with technical director Paolo Maldini confirming the news on the club’s Twitch channel. Donnarumma has made more than 250 appearances for Milan in all competitions, but his time at the club has been dogged by contr...
Paolo Maldini: Gianluigi Donnarumma to leave AC Milan as free agent
Gianluigi Donnarumma will leave AC Milan this summer, club director Paolo Maldini announced on Wednesday, with the Italy goalkeeper set to pick his new club as a free agent. Donnarumma’s Milan contract expires at the end of the month and he has been linked with moves to La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, Manchester United and even bitter Serie A rivals Juventus. “We need to show respect for someone who has given a lot to Milan, he has never disrespected us. We’re going our separate ways but I can only wish him the very best,” Milan legend Maldini said on social media platform Twitch. Seven-time European champions Milan finished second in Serie A last weekend, securing Champions League football for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. Donnarumma was a near ever-present in Stefa...
