By the end of the summer, Marseille could look like a mini-Arsenal old boys club as they try to sign three former players and two already at the club.
Marseille have been heavily linked with Matteo Guendouzi and it has been reported that the midfielder has already agreed a four-year deal with the French side.
They are also said to be interested in pairing him up with Francis Coquelin after trying to sign him in January. The 30-year-old will be allowed to leave Villarreal this summer.
They are also trying to lure Stephy Mavididi to the club after failing to convince him to join last summer. “Last summer, I proposed him to OM, but he was not of interest to the old management,” his representative said. “Today, we see with Montpellier that he is one of the most prominent young attackers in Ligue 1. He is the true modern striker, tall, fast, powerful and technical. More technical than an Aubameyang, whose profile he shares a little.
“He has scored 9 times in 18 games as a starter, but plays most of the time as a winger, while he is a training centre forward. Today, he is one of the young attackers observed by OM, it is true, but there will be a lot of people on him at the end of the season given the season he is making. It will certainly be worth more than last summer. ”
Arsenal sold Mavididi to Juventus in 2018 for £1.7m before he was sold to Montpellier two years later for £5.67m after just one appearance for the Old Lady.
His representative presents Mavididi’s stats in a good light, stating his goals as a starter, but in total he has played 40 times for the Ligue 1 side, registering nine goals, with no assists, in total.
Mavididi joined Arsenal in 2001 at the age of 13 but, although he was handed a professional contract, he was never given his debut for the senior side.
He is currently valued at around £7.2m and is under contract until 2024.
Next up, Get French Football News report that Marseille have started talks with David Luiz who is, of course, available for free after being released by Arsenal at the end of his contract.
Le10Sport also report that Marseille are “looking for an experienced central defender to guide their rear guard,” and that “the Brazilian would be attracted by the prospect of evolving under the orders of Jorge Sampaoli.”
Luiz’s salary could be an issue but the French reports seem to think there is a willingness on Luiz’s side to lower his demands to play for Sampaoli and become the “boss of Marseille’s defence.”
As if that isn’t enough Arsenal for Marseille, they would also like to get their hands on William Saliba on loan.
Juventus, meanwhile, may not be far behind Marseille in their numbers of former Arsenal men by the end of the summer. In addition to Wojciech Szczesny, who isn’t leaving, and Aaron Ramsey, who might, they would also like to lure David Ospina to Turin. Napoli, however, are not keen on a sale.