Anzhi insist their Christopher Samba offer is «significantly less» than £12 million

Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala have confirmed the club is closing in on the transfer of Blackburn defender Christopher Samba, but insisted the fee is «significantly less» than the reported £12 million.

«The fee reported in the Telegraph has nothing to do with reality. Yes, it is close to the amount initially requested by the English club’s owners, but during the negotiations we’ve reduced it significantly to the fee we are happy to pay,» claimed the club’s vice-president Germann Chistyakov in a press-release.

«We are not at liberty to disclose the amount paid. We haven’t got a deal on our hands yet, but hopefully the paperwork will be sorted out tonight,» he added.