Ibrahim Amadou’s cancelled transfer taking him from Lille to Crystal Palace has been rather big news, to the point where the defensive midfielder’s agent had to weigh in and clarify a few things this week, which we covered on Thursday.
The 24-year-old travelled to London on transfer deadline day as a precautionary measure in case he was given the green light to move to the Premier League to either the Eagles or West Ham, but Dijon’s reluctance to cancel Xeka’s loan and send him back to Lille meant nothing ever materialised.
Amadou returned to Lille the next day, and featured the following Saturday against Paris Saint-Germain in a 3-0 loss.
Speaking to RMC Sport on Thursday evening, relayed by Foot Mercato, Lille’s sporting advisor, Luis Campos, explained the train of thought from the club’s end to say no to Crystal Palace’s offer that could have made the club around €16.5m.
He said: “For Amadou, the club decided to privilege the sporting aspect of things. He’s our captain, an extraordinary person. Maybe there was a communication problem that led to all that. He’s still a part of the club. The proof being his excellent game against Paris Saint-Germain.”
According to Campos, a transfer for their captain was never really on the cards, although that seems unlikely considering their financial needs.
Had a really good offer landed on their table, they’d have snatched it up in a heartbeat.
