Rumour Reel: Lamine Kone to West Ham, Chelsea monitor Bonaventura?
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Coral’s Rumour Reel
Another day closer to the winter window opening brings more football gossip to the table, including Lamine Kone to West Ham United, while Chelsea monitor Bonaventura.
Like your Secret Santa Christmas present at work, punters approach such speculation with a certain trepidation, but that’s half the fun of Coral’s Rumour Reel for December 13.
Read more about these potentially tasty transfers in detail below, as our football experts assess their merits…
Lamine Kone to West Ham?
The last thing Sunderland need is to lose one of their best players to a rival in the scrap to avoid Premier League relegation, but tabloid talks links Lamine Kone to West Ham.
Previously a target for Everton this past summer when he told Black Cats boss David Moyes he wanted to leave before penning a new deal at the Stadium of Light, 27-year-old Ivory Coast defender Kone is now attracting the Hammers’ attention.
That new contract Kone signed with Sunderland is understood to contain a release clause which the tabloids quote as £18m, and West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is keen to shore things up at the back in January.
Chelsea monitor Bonaventura?
Meanwhile, across London at Stamford Bridge, AC Milan and Italy midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura is touted to swap the San Siro for linking up with his former national boss Antonio Conte.
As Chelsea monitor Bonaventura, capped twice by Conte during his two years in charge of the Azzurri, reports claim the Blues are prepared to fork out €23m to land the 27-year-old in January.
Scoring twice and setting up five more goals for Rossoneri teammates this term, a thigh problem has ruled Bonaventura out of the last couple of matches, though it is not thought to be a serious injury.
