‘There’s no open door’ – Lille president reluctant to let stars leave this summer | OneFootball

Lille OSC have been quickly preparing their squad for the upcoming 2025/26 season, where they will once again be competing in Europe. The Stade Pierre-Mauroy will not be playing host to the likes of Real Madrid or Borussia Dortmund this time around, but the UEFA Europa League awaits.

For the Lille hierarchy, there is a desire to provide head coach Bruno Génésio with a settled squad. However, the futures of two of the coach’s key players from last season, Lucas Chevalier (23) and Bafodé Diakité (24), remain unclear.

La Voix du Nord writes that Chevalier is expected to remain with Les Dogues for the next campaign despite reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United. Diakité’s situation remains trickier, with the centre-back having agreed terms with AFC Bournemouth.

Lille president Olivier Létang has cut a bullish figure, and in a press conference revealed that, outside of Edon Zhegrova and Gabriel Gudmundsson, who have entered the final year of their contracts, the club are not open to sales, unless they receive “incredible offers.”

He said, “It would take exceptional circumstances for one or two players to leave us; there won’t be a fire sale, there’s no open door at all. Our best marketing tool is to win matches, and the goal is for the team to remain as competitive as possible.”

La Voix du Nord adds that Bournemouth will have to match Létang’s €35m asking price to convince the club to part ways with the centre-back; RMC Sport previously reported it to be around €30m.

GFFN | Nick Hartland