Lille close on Benfica’s Derley

French Ligue 1 side Lille are stepping up their efforts to sign Brazilian attacker Derley from Benfica, O Jogo can reveal.

Les Dogues are desperate to add a quality striker to their ranks this winter and the 27-year-old has emerged as their top target.

Lille initially proposed to sign the forward on loan until the end of the season for a fee of €600,000, but they have now decided to try and recruit the player on permanent deal.

Seeing as it is clear that Derley has no future at Estadio da Luz, les Dogues have every chance of securing his signature in the coming days.

The experienced forward joined the Eagles on the back of a very successful season with Maritimo, during which he bagged 16 goals in 30 appearances, but has utterly failed to prove his worth at Benfica.

Derley has featured in a total of 10 league matches this term, starting just one of those games and scoring one goal.