Yan Valery admits he would be ‘flattered’ if Ligue 1 giants Marseille tried to take him away from Premier League outfit Southampton during the transfer window, speaking to FootMercato.
With just 12 months remaining on his contract, next season already feels like a big one in Valery’s career – if he stys put, that is..
Another campaign like the last one – during which he started just three out of 38 league games – and you can probably expect the 23-year-old academy graduate to leave St Mary’s on a free transfer. Head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl has spoken in glowing terms about the improvements Valery has made in recent months, however, highlighting the youngster’s transformation from a right-back into a centre-half.
The injury-enforced absence of Tino Livramento – and the potential departures of Lyanco and Jan Bednarek – means first-team chances may be easier to come by next season for a man who joined Southampton from Rennes back in 2015.
“I train there, I know everyone. It’s a family club so relations have always been very good,” Valary said when asked about his future on the South Coast.
“I’m still at Southampton and we’ll see what happens this summer. I don’t like to talk about these things. I have one year left on my contract. We’ll see what happens.”
Will Yan Valery stay at Southampton?
Marseille, one of the biggest and most historic clubs in French football, showed an interest in Valery during the summer of 2021. And with the former European Champions in the market for a full-back – Arsenal’s Nuno Tavares has been linked – Valery may have a difficult decision to make before August’s transfer deadline.
“I’m never going to turn by nose up at Ligue 1. If it’s a top club (who want me)… There are a lot of them. My old club Rennes had a superb season. You also see clubs like Strasbourg or Lens, they are playing very well,” Valery adds.
“We know, after the big clubs like Nice and Lyon, there are a lot of very good clubs. I wouldn’t mind one day returning to France and playing there, that’s for sure.
“It’s definitely flattering if Marseille were to take an interest in me. We know it’s a very big club in France. So no one will ever spit on Marseille.”
Southampton reinforced their defensive ranks with former Bochum ace Armel Bella-Kotchap last week. It could be a case of one in, one out, however, with Bednarek reportedly looking for an exit route.
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