Marseille are in talks to sign Farid Boulaya as a replacement for the potentially Aston Villa bound Morgan Sanson, according to FootMercato.
As L’OM coach Andre Villas-Boas himself admitted, Sanson is a player who looks pretty much tailor-made for Premier League football.
Skilful and stylish but full of energy and industry, the £20 million-rated Frenchman will fit in nicely alongside John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jack Grealish in an already impressive Aston Villa midfield (Mail).
Dean Smith’s high-flying side have entered talks over a cut-price January deal for Sanson.
Marseille are open to offers given that the former Montpellier play-maker is due to become a free agent in 2022, with the Sun reporting that Newcastle and West Ham United are also interested.
What’s more, Marseille are already pressing ahead in a deal for Sanson’s successor.
FootMercato claims that the Ligue 1 giants are in talks with the Metz number ten. Algeria international Boulaya is expected to cost around £6 million.
With football clubs all over France looking to scrimp and save due to a combination of COVID and the collapse of a billion dollar TV deal, Marseille look set to sell Sanson for a substantial sum before snapping up his replacement for a fraction of that fee.
From a financial perspective, this is good business.
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