Valencia deny Chelsea bid for Cancelo but hope to seal double Inter swoop

Joe Wright

Valencia deny Chelsea bid for Cancelo but hope to seal double Inter swoop image

Valencia CEO Mateu Alemany claims there has been no offer from Chelsea for full-back Joao Cancelo.

Reports in England suggest the Premier League champions are prepared to launch a bid for the 23-year-old after scouting him extensively.

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However, Alemany says he knows nothing of any Chelsea approach for Cancelo, who was also linked with Barcelona last season.

cancelo - emirates EN

"There is no Chelsea offer for Cancelo," he told a news conference.

Alemany also confirmed he hopes to conclude deals for Inter duo Geoffrey Kondogbia and Jeison Murillo.

Kondogbia skipped training on Thursday without permission and head coach Luciano Spalletti later acknowledged the 24-year-old wants to leave San Siro.

Geoffrey Kondogbia Inter

"They are different situations. Murillo is close to an agreement but nothing has been signed up until now," said Alemany.

"There are difficulties with Kondogbia. We'll have to wait a little longer."

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Valencia boss Marcelino has given his blessing to the proposed deals, telling Cadena Ser: "I like Kondogbia, I think he could fit in well here. I think his [Murillo's] arrival is near.

"I think it's a long process. As of today, we still need several additions. 

"I'd expected from the start that new signings would arrive late. It doesn't surprise me."

Joe Wright

Joe Wright Photo

Joe is a Senior Editor at Sporting News. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform editorial news service, covering major global sports including football, tennis, boxing, NBA, rugby union and athletics. Joe has reported live on some of the biggest games in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup final at the end of a month in Russia.