Monday, 24th June, 2013
Lille schemer Dimitri Payet is the subject of interest from clubs in England, with a transfer to Marseille not done and dusted, according to a source at the northern France club.
Payet is at the centre of an offer from Marseille, who are keen to take him to the Stade Velodrome this summer. But Lille are determined to extract the maximum value from the player if he does leave.
And that could open the door to English clubs, with Arsenal known to be firm fans of Payet and the player himself very much in favour of joining the Gunners if they launch a bid.
Indeed, English clubs are interested, a Lille source has claimed, and much more so than Italian sides.
relatedNewsStory
"We are in discussions. But the last steps are always the most difficult ones", the source was quoted as saying by Le 10 Sport.
"To be honest we have had more contact from England than from Italy at the moment.
"What is certain is that we are calm at our end and the first club with which we agree will have a clear run."
Payet joined Lille in 2011 from Saint-Etienne.
He has so far won five senior international caps for France.
Like betting on football? You simply must check out Inside Bet!
