The search for the next big star from French football could be going towards Lille. Everyone remembers how Chelsea did extremely well with the signing of Eden Hazard and it seems that Liverpool and Tottenham are set to battle it out for the signature of Sofiane Boufal.
The 22-year-old has been incredible for Lille this season and was the subject of a lot of scouting by many top clubs in January also but he stuck with the club as he had just moved in last summer’s transfer window from Angers.
Frederic Antonetti, the coach of Lille did speak in January about the attacker being relaxed about his future at the club and that the Moroccan was going to stay at the club, at least in January: “I see a lot of failures in departures,” he said. “Because sometimes they go a little too early. I am not afraid of losing Sofiane Boufal in January, because of all the discussions I had with him. He has many things to learn. In a club like Lille, he can move forward.”.
Antonetti’s quotes taken from the Guardian does seem to say that the 22-year-old will stay in Lille for the foreseeable future, but a big bid of around 25 million pounds would ensure that the Ligue 1 club have a lot to think about.
The attacking sharpness that has been missing
In 37 games last season for Lille, the 22-year-old scored 12 goals for the side and also provided four assists for his side. There was a bit of an issue with his temperament as he also received 10 yellow cards and a couple of red cards last season.
Boufal though is incredible with the ball and can play all across the front line, even as a striker. His strengths lie in almost every single attacking aspect for a plyer with passing, dribbling and even finishing listed as his strengths all across the park.
Sofiane is also great at crossing and that would mean he could play wide out but he seems best suited playing just behind the main striker and that could be a problem for Liverpool and Tottenham as both the clubs have a ton of talent in these positions.
Liverpool have the likes of Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana while Tottenham have Dele Alli and even Son Heung Min who can play in this position. However, given the amount of competition going around in the Liverpool team, Boufal could be the right option for Spurs as they need to strengthen their team for the Champions League next season.
The Merseyside club actually need someone to play on the wing or even in defence as that should be the main priority but getting Boufal could be a great acquisition for the future as many players could be cut under Jurgen Klopp next season.
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