Marseille were ‘very close’ to signing striker Moussa Dembele over the summer.
Former Marseille manager Franck Passi has been quoted by The Scottish Sun as saying that Moussa Dembele was ‘very close’ to joining Marseille before he chose a move to Celtic.
Dembele, 20, hit 17 goals in all competitions for Fulham last season, and with his contract at Craven Cottage coming to an end over the summer, a number of clubs wanted to sign him.
It was Celtic who won the race for his signature though, as they gave Dembele a four-year deal and paid just £500,000 in compensation to land the Frenchman, as reported by Get West London.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele
After receiving some criticism during his first couple of games, Dembele has gone on to become a star at Celtic Park, scoring 17 goals in 32 games this season – though he has now scored just one goal in his last nine games.
Dembele’s displays, both in Scotland and in Europe, appear to have attracted interest, as Glasgow Live recently reported that Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham are all keen on signing him in January, with a value of £20m mentioned.
Celtic’s Moussa Dembele celebrates scoring
Now, one manager has told a story of how close he was to signing Dembele ahead of Celtic over the summer, before a deal fell through.
Former Marseille boss Franck Passi – who was sacked by the French side in October – has been quoted by The Scottish Sun as saying that Dembele was in fact ‘very close’ to signing for Marseille, having contacted the player’s agent.
Marseille wanted Dembele to replace Michy Batshuayi following his move to Chelsea, but Passi admitted that the deal fell through – and Marseille will be ruing their missed opportunity to sign such a talented young striker.
“I wanted Dembele to come to Marseille,” said Passi. “We were looking for a replacement for Michy Batshuayi, and among all the players we had mentioned there was Moussa.”
“I contacted his agent and he was very close to coming to Marseille. Then, finally, it did not happen…sometimes during transfers, things do not happen,” he added.
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