Chelsea have been dealt a setback in their pursuit of Lille pair Nicolas Pepe and Luis Campos, according to goal.com.
The tricky winger and sporting director have been on the receiving end of an apparent double-swoop by the Blues, but the French club’s owner was quick to diminish any rumours linking the pair with a move to West London.
Gerard Lopez revealed it would take an offer of at least €50 million to tempt Lille into letting their in-demand winger cross shores, while clubs in China are also interested in the 23-year-old.
Lopez confirmed the interest in their youngster on Monday, saying: “Pepe’s future does not just depend on the club, it also depends on the player.
“He deserves to play at the highest level. We have offers, yes. There are clubs in England. We have had offers worth €50 million but we will not sell for less; we even rejected a €50 million bid.
“We had an offer from China worth €80 million with an astronomical salary but the player did not want to go.”
As well as Pepe, Chelsea are also interested in bringing sporting director Luis Campos to Stamford Bridge as a replacement for Michael Emenalo, over a year after he resigned from his role at the club.
Marina Granovskaia has been placed in charge of transfers for the last 15 months, but it is understood Chelsea want to hire a permanent replacement for Emenalo.
However, Lopez, again, made it clear the club’s sporting director is going nowhere. When asked if the rumours linking Campos to Chelsea have any truth behind them, Lopez simply replied: “No, no, no.”
Campos has gained attraction from various clubs in Europe for his work at Monaco in which his recruitment helped the French side win the Ligue 1 title in the 2016/17 campaign.