Lille are believed to be incredibly willing to part ways with midfielder Boubakary Soumaré in the current transfer window, with five European giants all thought to be keen on striking a deal for the 20-year-old.
A recent report revealed that Lille's desire to part ways with Soumaré has sparked interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United - all of whom were optimistic about their chances of striking a deal in January.
Speaking on RMC Sport's Breaking Foot, Mohamed Bouhafsi again reiterated Lille's wish to sell Soumaré, claiming that the French side are 'very open' to parting ways with him while he still has over two years remaining on his contract.
Alongside the three Premier League sides, Lille are believed to have been notified of interest from both Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid.
The offers on the table are believed to be around the €50m mark - €10m higher than Wolverhampton Wanderers' bid from last summer - and the final decision will be left to the player himself.
Soumaré is thought to prefer to stay at Lille until the end of the season, but he would be prepared to leave if club officials tried to push him out of Stade Pierre Mauroy, which seems likely.
Lille want Soumaré's future sorted out as soon as possible so they can deal with how it impacts the rest of their transfer business. Brazilian midfielder Thiago Maia is considering offers from both Brazil and Turkey, but he would likely be made to stay if the club can cash in on Soumaré.
That will likely encourage Arsenal, Chelsea and United in their pursuit as all three will see Soumaré as a potential improvement who could be brought in with relatively little effort in negotiations.
The Frenchman has long been seen as a potential star of the future. Compared to Paul Pogba because of both his skill set and physical frame, Soumaré is a powerful box-to-box midfielder who can influence a game at both ends of the field, and all five interested sides seemingly see a need for that in their current squad.
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Source :
90min
