After qualifying for the Champions League, Olympique de Marseille is likely to experience a particularly lively summer transfer window. Phoenician President Pablo Longoria will have to get busy, in terms of arrivals but also departures.
Pablo Longoria will still have to activate.
Olympique de Marseille has a clear objective: to settle, in the hard way, in the Champions League. After a successful season with a 2nd place in the final classification of Ligue 1, the Marseille club will return to the most prestigious of European competitions.
But to achieve a good run in C1 and be competitive in the league, OM president Pablo Longoria will have to strengthen the squad available to coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Better conditions for the Spaniard?
And this Thursday, OM’s summer transfer window is also likely to experience a first turning point with the second passage before the financial policeman of French football, the National Management Control Department, which demanded additional documents before issue a verdict. Longoria’s hope? Avoid, compared to last year, a supervision of the wage bill. Because if the DNCG grants him this freedom, the Spaniard risks working in good conditions.
Indeed, according to the daily L’Equipe on Thursday, the former leader of Juventus Turin has obtained financial guarantees from owner Frank McCourt. Thus, for its recruitment, Longoria has a margin and does not need to sell before buying. With this idea in mind, the OM boss is already advancing on his first priority: the recruitment of a midfielder to compensate for the departure of Boubacar Kamara, at the end of his contract, with Aston Villa.
If the sports newspaper evokes a desire to bet on an experienced profile, radio RMC advances two hot leads for this position: AS Roma players Jordan Veretout, appreciated by Longoria, and Palmeiras Danilo, a target advised by Sampaoli. At the same time, Marseille did not give up hope of keeping William Saliba in central defence. If the French international is going to leave Arsenal well at the end of his loan, OM will wait to see the evolution of this file and will be on the lookout for the slightest opening with a possible soap opera until August. In the event of a failure, other players are obviously tracked.
Cho advanced, designated undesirables
Offensively, the vice-champion of France also wants to strengthen. For several weeks, a name has been coming up with insistence: Angers striker Mohamed-Ali Cho. According to L’Equipe, negotiations are progressing positively between the two formations concerning a transfer estimated at 12 million euros for the young French talent, under contract until June 2023. Confident, the Marseille club is precisely waiting for his passage before the DNCG to progress in the exchanges with the entourage of Cho concerning his future salary.
Then, Longoria plans to adapt according to any sales. Thus, an additional central defender, a versatile full-back, an attacking midfielder and a winger could land in the event of certain departures (Duje Caleta-Car, Luis Henrique, Bamba Dieng). And precisely, OM has also appointed 4 undesirables: central defender Alvaro Gonzalez, whose contract until June 2024 will soon be terminated amicably, then left-back Jordan Amavi, midfielder Kevin Strootman and winger Nemanja Radonjic, who will return very soon after loans. Suffice to say that Longoria will not be unemployed…
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