Courtois price tag, Luiz latest, Essien’s agent talks up Milan interest

By

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has told a Spanish radio station he believes his club would have to pay €25m [close to £21m] to sign on-loan Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois on a permanent basis.

“I believe that Chelsea have placed a €25m price tag on Courtois,” he said.

“He is worth a lot because he is the best in Europe, but €25m is too much for a keeper.

“He is a great goalkeeper. He is playing amazingly well but he belongs to Chelsea and €25m is a lot of money. Let’s see what can we do.”

Michael Essien’s agent Fabien Piveteau says the Chelsea midfielder could end up at AC Milan despite no talks having taken place between the two clubs.

Piveteau is quoted as saying: “We have not yet opened any direct talks with AC Milan, but this does not mean he cannot move to Italy.

“Clearly this is a great opportunity for my player. Milan are still in the running in the Champions League and are a great club, despite the difficulties of the moment.

“We are fascinated by the Milan hypothesis and, from here to the end of the month, we want to explore and understand all the requirements.”

Following reports in the Spanish media that Barcelona are considering tabling a bid for David Luiz, the Express say Chelsea are ready to sell him.

Marca reported on Tuesday that the Catalan giants could offer 35 million euros (around £29m) this month as they believe his market value may increase in the summer if he performs well in the World Cup for Brazil.

And it is claimed that Chelsea would let Luiz go for that price, particularly as they are about to sign Nemanja Matic, who plays in the defensive midfield role Luiz has operated in recently.

Meanwhile, Talksport note that the Italian press believe QPR’s Armand Traore will decide today whether he wants to join Serie A strugglers Livorno.

And Sky have reported that Fulham have made a £2m bid for Leicester City defender Liam Moore, which the Leicester Mercury say has been rejected. 

Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook