Indications have shown that the French Ligue 1 might not be competitive as expected.
This is following several club interests in some players in the Ligue. The situation could see a club depleted after selling their important players.
One such instance is Monaco centre-back Benoît Badiashile, who have been contacted by Newcastle United and West Ham.
Foot Mercato reports that the 20-year-old’s agent has also been contacted by the clubs, who both could soon make a direct offer to Monaco.
Newcastle is also interested in Sven Botman, but the talks seem to break down. That is why they are switching their focus to the France under-21 defender.
Still, in Lille, the Ligue 1 champions have turned down multiple bids from English sides for Sven Botman.
According to RMC Sport, the 21-year-old Dutch defender is the subject of multiple proposals from the Premier League this January, all of which Lille have rejected.
The last bid by Newcastle United for Botman was in the region of €35m.
The current Ligue 1 champions are also looking at selling Jonathan Ikoné to Fiorentina for €15m.
In another development, Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta wants Saint-Étienne to move, but it has been blocked by the contractual situation.
RMC reported that the Crystal Palace forward’s move has been blocked despite an agreement being reached between the clubs.
The Ligue 1 club is desperate to have the striker because they are struggling at the foot of the Ligue 1 table, and their squad is badly depleted by the African Nations Cup.
Mainz, the parent club of Mateta, have also blocked a loan move for a 24-year-old Frenchman.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United and Swiss club FC Basel are monitoring the situation, having expressed an interest in the player.
Foot Mercato also reported that Lyon have increased their offer for Zenit’s Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun.
The Ligue 1 club has put the player on their top list, and they have been chasing him since last summer. Zenith had rejected a €4m bid for the forward, demanding a much higher fee.
Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed
