Club president responds when asked if Luis Campos is joining Tottenham

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Lille president Gerard Lopez has told French outlet RMC Sport that sporting director Luis Campos is going nowhere amid reports that he could be the latest Lille man to swap the Ligue 1 club for Tottenham Hotspur.

ESPN claim that Spurs are keen on luring Campos to the north London club after working with new manager Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid. Campos, 55, has been responsible for the enormous profit and £72million sale of Nicolas Pepe.

Prior to joining Lille in the summer of 2016, Campos worked at Monaco and was key in signing the likes of Benjamin Mendy, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho on the cheap, before selling the quartet for almost £200million.

Spurs have spent £3m (ESPN) to bring Joao Sacramento in as assistant manager from Lille, and Nuno Santos as goalkeeping coach. Jeunes Footeux have also claimed that Spurs want two Lille players, in Boubakary Soumare and Victor Osimhen.

Lopez said: “Luis and I are collaborators but mostly friends, and we are working on a common project with a great trajectory and the project is far from over. He will not leave the club, he stays with us. We are very close and we look ahead.”

TBR’s view – Campos would be an excellent Tottenham addition

But the chances of Tottenham raiding Lille for a third time looks unlikely. There are reports that Lopez is frustrated with Tottenham for raiding his side for two crucial members of the Ligue 1 side’s staff.

His history, regarding the likes of Pepe, Fabinho, Silva and more clearly underlines his pedigree as one of the best sporting directors in world football. Mourinho and Campos are close, after working at the Bernabeu.

It will be interesting to see if Spurs are interested, and he would certainly be a good addition. Lopez looks as though he will do everything to throw a spanner in the works, however.