Lille President Olivier Letang has confirmed to TuttoMercatoWEB that his Ligue 1 outfit are in talks to sell reported Everton and West Ham United transfer target Jonathan Ikone.
But the Dogues chief has dealt the Toffees and Hammers a blow, too, as he also confirmed Fiorentina’s interest. However, talks are yet to return a concrete agreement for the winger.
That’s despite Fabrizio Romano claiming I Viola have an agreement to sign Ikone in January for €15m (£13m) plus add-ons. They will also pay Lille a percentage of any future transfer fee, with the Serie A side only having to finalise agent fees before they can conclude a deal.
Everton and West Ham have also explored possible transfers for Ikone – who admits he will consider leaving Lille – per Calciomercato. The winger helped the Stade Pierre-Mauroy side to the Ligue 1 title last season, yet has failed to recapture the form displayed in 2020/21.
Letang confirms Ikone transfer interest
Ikone registered seven goals and assists last season, with four and five of each coming over 37 Ligue 1 outings. Yet the 23-year-old has only offered two goals and two assists over 24 appearances in all competitions this term.
He has also only scored once in 18 league games, while registering both assists last week in the Champions League. Ikone’s last Ligue 1 goal came on the first day of the term, in fact.
Letang has now confirmed that it is possible Everton and West Ham transfer target Ikone leaves Lille amid Fiorentina’s interest. But he adds much can change before the sales start.
“We have many talented players,” Letang said. “There are negotiations, it’s true, but nothing definite at the moment. Let’s see what will happen in the next few weeks. Fiorentina? It’s true, they are interested in Ikone, I confirm it.”
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