Manchester United and Tottenham are now reportedly slacking in the race to sign Axel Witsel, with Olympique Marseille now the front-runners to land the free agent midfielder.
According to Le10Sport, the Ligue 1 giants have been hard at work behind the scenes for the past two weeks to sign the Belgian international, with Witsel reportedly keen on joining Marseille with the 33-year-old having numerous offers on the table since leaving Borussia Dortmund at the end of his contract.
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As per reports, both United and Tottenham are interested in Witsel, who is reaching the twilight of his career and could still do a solid job in the Premier League, a division the midfielder has surprisingly never played in despite consistent links with a move to England throughout his career.
Clubs in Spain and MLS are also said to be keen on signing Witsel, though, despite interest from United and Tottenham, it is Marseille who lead the chase to sign the midfielder, with the French club finishing second in Ligue 1 last season and thus automatically qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
Labelled ‘world class’ by Dortmund’s former CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, Witsel could be an outstanding signing for Marseille if the French side can beat the likes of United and Tottenham to the Belgian’s signature, with Jorge Sampaoli already adding Matteo Guendouzi from Arsenal on a permanent deal this summer.
Indeed, losing out on Witsel would not be the end of the world for either United or Tottenham, though given the midfielder’s free-agent status, the former Zenit St. Petersburg star would have been a shrewd signing for either Premier League club, who both need reinforcements in the position.
Marseille signing Witsel is a huge coup for Sampaoli’s side
Marseille surprised a lot of people last season after finishing second in Ligue 1 and having a solid run in the UEFA Europa Conference League, and with the club now reportedly close to signing Witsel, this newest addition is a big coup for the French giants.
After all, Witsel is a player who could be a smart signing for many top sides in Europe, and adding the experienced Belgian alongside Guendouzi for next season is an exciting prospect for Marseille supporters, much to the dismay of both United and Tottenham, who could be kicking themselves for missing out on the 33-year-old.
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