Leeds United target Azzedine Ounahi has been spotted watching Olympique Marseille following reports that the French giants have agreed to sign the Angers talent this week.
Pictures captured by Canal+ via GFFN showed the Morocco international at the Stade Velodrome watching Marseille in their 1-1 draw against AS Monaco, with RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins reporting that the French giants had reached a €10m (£8m) deal to sign the 22-year-old.
90min had claimed earlier in January that Ounahi was a target for Leeds and that the Whites were in talks with Angers to sign the midfielder. However, with Jesse Marsch now pursuing a deal for Weston McKennie, Marseille have swooped in the final days of the January window to land the 2022 FIFA World Cup star.
Described by Jose Mourinho as ‘absolutely incredible’, Ounahi was one of the breakout stars from Qatar and has since been tipped for a move to a major club, with Marseille being the lucky winners to sign the midfielder at a relatively reasonable price.
At just 22, Ounahi was already regarded as one of the most underrated players in Ligue 1 before the World Cup, with the youngster now getting the recognition he deserves after Qatar and a big move now on the cards for the Angers superstar, much to Leeds’ dismay.
Indeed, Elland Road could have been a brilliant next step for Ounahi given how Jesse Marsch’s side operates and what Leeds needed this January. Yet with McKennie set to sign on loan, the midfielder might have made the right decision in joining Marseille.
Marseille signing Ounahi could be one of the deals of the window
World Cup hype always has the potential to inflate a player’s price to a point beyond reason. Yet even with Ounahi leading Morocco to a historic semi-final finish, Marseille have done well to sign the midfielder for a good transfer fee, with the deal potentially one of the best of the entire window.
After all, Ounahi already knows Ligue 1 and has been an outstanding performer in the division even before the World Cup, and with Marseille building something quite exciting, the 22-year-old is the ideal signing to take the French club to the next step under Igor Tudor.
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