Lille insist sporting director will not be joining Chelsea

Luis Campos

Campos has established an excellent reputation after bringing the likes of Thomas Lemar, Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy to Monaco before joining Lille in the summer of 2017.

French media reports had suggested that the Stamford Bridge club were in talks to secure the director’s services, but the Ligue 1 club’s owner Gerard Lopez denied the suggestion.

"No, no, no," he replied to ESPN FC when quizzed about the chances of Campos’s departure to the Premier League.

Chelsea have been banned by FIFA from signing players in the next two transfer windows after breaching rules over the signing of minors and Lopez, speaking to RMC radio, questioned why the club would look to bring in a new sporting director at this time before stating: “Luis Campos will be at Lille next season.”

Campos’s recruitment has helped Lille enjoy an impressive season, and they currently occupy second spot in Ligue 1 behind runaway leaders PSG.

Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.