Report: Afellay turns down Lille move
Barcelona's Ibrahim Afellay has turned down a move to Lille, according to a report in Mercato 365.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury early in the season ruled Afellay out of the majority of Barcelona's campaign. Nonetheless, he battled back to full fitness in time to feature in the club's last La Liga fixture and earned a place in then Holland manager Bert van Marwijk's Euro 2012 squad.
Although Afellay was largely disappointing in the summer tournament, club officials from Lille remained convinced that he was the man they wanted to replace their former star Eden Hazard. With Barcelona not keen on a loan-agreement, the French side made an eight million Euro bid for the attacking midfielder, dangling regular first team action in hopes of enticing him to Ligue 1.
The Catalan side were expected to accept Lille's bid, before Afellay declared a lack of interest in leaving the Camp Nou. With the recent appointment of Tito Vilanova, the former Ajax player is believed to be keen to take his chances in impressing the new man in charge, before seeking options elsewhere.