Gaëtan Perrin chooses Lille as dramatic Auxerre return collapses | OneFootball

Gaëtan Perrin signed for Lille on Monday evening after Auxerre believed a morning agreement had sealed his return, according to L'Équipe.

The 29-year-old was sold to FK Krasnodar six months ago for €5m on a three-year deal after starring for Auxerre with 10 goals and 11 assists last season.

He played 20 times in Russia, scoring two and supplying four, and wanted to come back to France for family reasons. A call from Auxerre coach Djibril Cissé is said to have helped persuade him.

Nantes tried to buy out his deal for €1.5m plus €500,000 if they stayed up, via the agent of Douglas Augusto, but talks failed. Auxerre then accelerated from Friday, three days before the deadline.

They moved from a straight loan to €1m plus a €500,000 option to buy if they survived. Auxerre, second-bottom in Ligue 1, were one point behind play-off side Nantes and seven off Le Havre. They agreed to cover €150,000 of his €200,000 monthly gross salary, and by Sunday the move was on hold.

On Monday morning Auxerre received a signed agreement from Krasnodar, and the player’s representative gave verbal approval. At 11:37 it looked done. Once the news leaked, Lille countered, and Perrin had not personally consented to rejoin a club he served from 2021-2025.

Faced with a relegation fight at Auxerre or Europa League and a top-end push with Lille, he chose the latter. LOSC agreed to buy out his Russian contract in full to 30 June 2028. Krasnodar accepted when the €1.5m fee was paid in cash.

After Auxerre had snatched Romain Faivre from Le Havre late on, the tables turned. Lille also signed Toulouse forward Noah Edjouma, an Under-21 international, 20, with three caps, on a deal to 2030.

Source: L'Équipe