Lille coach Christophe Galtier admits he expects to Victor Osimhen and Gabriel to be sold this summer.
Striker Osimhen is being linked with Manchester United, while Gabriel is a target for Chelsea and Everton.
Galtier conceded: “As for Victor and Gabriel, yes, I have known for a long time that they will leave.
“They work hard with us in the meantime.
“We work with the players who are currently here and those who are likely to replace them (Victor and Gabriel).”
Victor Osimhen has been announced as Lille’s Player of the Season, following his eye-catching displays for the French side in the 2019-20 campaign.
The Super Eagles striker joined the Great Danes last summer from Sporting Charleroi after his impressive performances for the Belgian side, where he scored 19 league goals before his departure.
The 21-year-old striker was recruited as a direct replacement for Ivory Coast international Nicolas Pepe, who teamed up with Premier League giants Arsenal.
Osimhen scored 18 goals and provided six assists in 38 appearances across all competitions and his 13 strikes in Ligue 1 was the fourth highest in the division.
Super Eagles star Victor Osimhen is reluctant to leave Lille this summer.
After his first season in France, the Nigeria striker is attracting interest from the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea.
And with LOSC president Gerard Lopez welcoming the interest, it’s expected Osimhen will be cashed in.
But a source close to the player has told Own Goal Nigeria: “Victor Osimhen informed Lille that he does not want to leave the club this summer despite the offers.
“The idea would be to play another season in the Lille jersey and prove yourself before leaving. It is a decision that has been communicated to the club.”
Real Madrid ace Eden Hazard admits Didier Drogba was key to him joining Chelsea.
In conversation with Het Laatste Nieuws, Hazard revealed how Chelsea legend Drogba pulled together his contacts in order to act as a persuader.
Knowing that Hazard played alongside Gervinho at Lille, Drogba was able to speak with the youngster via his Ivory Coast international team-mate.
“Suddenly Gervinho’s phone rang in the dressing room near Lille. It was Drogba on the line. He insisted that he tell me, ‘I need to talk to him’,” Hazard revealed.
“Drogba said to me, ‘You have to come to Chelsea’.
“At that moment I was still in doubt. Chelsea was not doing well in the Premier League. They wouldn’t play Champions League the following year. [But] After that final, the choice was made quickly.”
Hazard added: “I knew I would easily adapt. London, close to home, not too far from Lille. [Kevin] De Bruyne had played there, Romelu [Lukaku] was around. There were enough French speakers. I knew I would play enough. I was only sad that he, Drogba, decided to leave.”
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama has revealed why he rejected offers from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur because they wanted him as a second choice goalkeeper.
The 37-year-old attracted interest from North London clubs after his fine outing with the Nigeria at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
He said he was keen on having regular playing time and his snub made the Gunners move for David Ospina who joined Napoli permanently last year after impressing on loan.
“Arsenal wanted me for second choice, but I was not interested. I also had an offer from Tottenham that wanted me for second choice also and I wasn’t interested,” Enyeama told ESPN.
“It was after the 2006 Nations Cup and then again around the 2014 World Cup. When I turned them down, that is when they [Arsenal] took David Ospina.
“For me, I was at the stage where I preferred playing even if it was for one of the smallest teams. That is what the agents that were involved told me. That Arsene (Wenger) wanted me but he is not so sure because of my height and things like that.
“People have their choices and I respect their choices.”
French Ligue 1 side Lille have slapped a whopping €100m price tag on their star forward Victor Osimhen as they attempt to ward off interest for the forward next summer.
Osimhen who joined the Ligue 1 side last summer after they sold Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal has been a revelation following stellar showing and has been linked with several top sides in Europe including AC Milan, Tottenham and Liverpool.
The Nigeria international has 18 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions which have also ignited interest from Spanish giants including Barcelona and Real Madrid.
According to the latest from Le10Sport though (via MilanLive), Lille are set to demand a huge asking price for Osimhen amid statements from their manager stating they wish to keep him for at least another year.
The report claims that the good relations between Lille and Milan could see them as favourites but the competition from England is strong. In addition, they are hoping to collect around €100million if they sell in the upcoming window, so as to surpass the €80m they received for Nicolas Pepe.
Victor Osimhen scored a second half penalty to help Lille come from behind to defeat Strasbourg 2-1 as the Great Danes claimed a first win in five in three games across all competitions.
Christophe Galtier’s men were forced to dig deep when Adrien Thomasson profited from a shambolic defending to hand the hosts a 12th minute lead.
Thomasson fired past goalkeeper Mike Maignan after the ball slipped off Renato Sanches’ legs near Lille’s goal area.
Defender Gabriel Magalhaes restored parity five minutes after the hour mark after heading home Jonathan Ikone’s cross off Sanches’ corner-kick.
With just ten minutes to full time, Osimhen punished wasteful Strasbourg from the penalty mark after defender Lionel Carole handled the ball.
The goal was the ex-Wolfsburg’s 10th of the season – four goals behind top scorer Wissam Ben Yedder of AS Monaco
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has been voted the 17th best player in French football in only is first half season by influential website, Get French Football News.
The French publication published its ranking of the 100 best players of the championship of France with 2018 best player, PSG forward Kylian Mbappe, retaining his position.
Second place went to his teammate angel Di Maria while Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder came in third.
Players that are eligible are judged on all their professional appearances in 2019, regardless of whether or not they were playing abroad for a part of the calendar year. This also applies to the international appearances they might have accumulated.
Osimhen only joined Lille in the summer from Belgian outfit Charleroi and has scored 14 goals in his first season in France including a brace in his debut.
His 20 goals in 36 games last season earned him Charleroi’s Player of the Season award and made them activate the €3.5m buy clause in their loan agreement with Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.
Exactly a month later, he was holding up a Lille shirt as their new €12m signing. Lille lost a lot of goals in the summer when Nicolas Pépé and Rafael Leão were sold to Arsenal and AC Milan respectively.
Chelsea survived a late scare to move into the Champions League knockout stages with victory over Lille at Stamford Bridge.
Frank Lampard’s side were in complete control for the most part and set up the victory they required with first-half goals from Tammy Abraham and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Chelsea’s nerves were frayed when former striker Loic Remy pulled one back for Lille late on but they were able to close out victory to reach the last 16 after finishing a tough group in second place behind Valencia but ahead of last season’s semi-finalists Ajax.
Abraham scored his 13th goal of the season after 19 minutes when he turned in Willian’s cross from close range while Azpilicueta headed in from Emerson’s corner 10 minutes before the break.
Lille, with nothing but pride to play for and with a much-changed team, barely threatened until Remy’s late strike but Chelsea saw out the win to complete the first phase of their Champions League assignment.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has included Antonio Rudiger in his squad to face Lille in the Champions League but has ruled Fikayo Tomori out of the match.
Tomori was an unused substitute in the 3-1 defeat to Everton on Saturday and the England international will now miss Tuesday’s match in France due to a slight hip strain.
Chelsea need to win to guarantee their place in the last 16 of the competition and Lampard has been handed a boost by Rudiger, who could make his first appearance since September after recovering from a groin injury.