Lille open Chelsea talks after Lamptey agrees pre-contract deal — report

Tariq Lamptey has apparently made his decision, and has chosen between the four contract offers that were on his table yesterday.

And he picked ... not us. So that’s a bit unfortunate. But it’s also understandable in a way, with plenty of competition at right back already. (Though the grass isn’t always greener, young man!)

According to Sky Sports, Lamptey has chosen Lille OSC, agreeing the pre-contract deal with the Ligue 1 outfit. Lamptey has chosen Eden Hazard’s old club over Torino, Chelsea, and at least one other unnamed Premier League club.

And while the pre-contract means that Lamptey can move for free in the at the end of the season upon expiry of his Chelsea contract — well, a small compensation fee set by FIFA or whatever — Lille are apparently exploring options to get the deal done straight away, in the remaining few days of the January transfer window.

If Lamptey has indeed agreed a pre-contract with them, there’s little reason for Chelsea to throw up any undue roadblocks. We’ve had a good working relationship with Lille in recent years, and we could yet return to the negotiating table for the likes of Victor Osimhen or Boubakary Soumaré, both of whom have been tenuously linked with the Blues this season.

P.S.: Two weeks ago, we had a report from The Athletic (“no rumors, just facts”) about Lamptey agreeing a Chelsea contract. What happened there, boys?