According to Olivier Létang’s statements, the LOSC has been following Chuba Akpom’s profile carefully since performing its duties. The British striker had been close to engaging with RC Lens during the summer mercato of 2023, before the Artois club headed towards Elye Wahi. The evolution of the situation was marked by a transfer from Chuba Akpom to the Amsterdam Ajax, the result of which revealed a difficult integration and a lack of significant impact within the Lille team, causing rumours of transfer to clubs such as ASSE and FC Nantes.

Despite the initial interest of several clubs, including FC Nantes and AS Saint-Étienne, LOSC finally managed to obtain a six-month loan for Chuba Akpom, an operation that allowed the attacker to demonstrate certain qualities, notably during the meetings against Rennes and Monaco. Nevertheless, his overall performance remains disappointing, with only two goals scored this season, and he struggles to assert himself alongside Jonathan David, despite his use in the forecentre position and on the left wing. The recent entry into play against Toulouse also did not meet the expectations of the Lille technical staff.

The purchase option negotiated between the LOSC and Ajax Amsterdam for Chuba Akpom is estimated at about 12 million euros, a sum that now seems difficult to justify given the player’s current value, estimated at around 8 million euros according to Transfermarkt. The clubs in Nantes and Saint-Étienne, initially interested, had not wanted to match such a amount, and preferred to move towards other options during the winter mercato, such as Meschak Elia and Irvin Cardona, respectively.