Lille owner denies Luis Campos to Chelsea rumours

Lille owner Gerard Lopez has denied that sporting director Luis Campos is in talks over a move to Chelsea.

The Premier League club have still not hired a replacement for Michael Emenalo, who left his post as technical director in November 2017.

Marina Granovskaia has taken on much of Emenalo’s duties in the 15 months since, but Chelsea are thought to be keen to appoint someone on a full-time basis.

Campos has been tipped as one of the favourites for the post, having won admirers for his work at Monaco, where he helped to put together the side that won the 2016-17 Ligue 1 title.

But Lopez says Campos, who has also been linked with the director of football post that is due to be established at Manchester United, will not be going to Stamford Bridge.

When asked if the rumours of talks were true, he told ESPN FC: “No, no, no.”

One player to have developed well during Campos’ time at the club is Nicolas Pepe, who was signed from Angers in 2017.

The winger has become one of the most highly regarded young players in Ligue 1 and is reportedly a target for a number of Premier League clubs.

Speaking to RMC Sport on Wednesday, Lopez claimed it would take an offer of between “50million and 80million euros” to sign the 23-year-old.

Lopez had confirmed interest from English and Chinese clubs on Monday, telling Canal Plus: “[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 50million. We will not sell for less, we have even refused a €50million bid.

“We had an offer from China worth €80million with an astronomical salary, but he didn’t want to go.”