Report: Chelsea & Spurs miss out on £17m ‘breakout superstar’ to rivals

Follow us on Google Discover

Chelsea and Tottenham are set to miss out on the signing of French international Jonathan Clauss, with the 29-year-old wingback set to sign for Olympique Marseille.

According to L’Equipe, the Ligue 1 giants have an agreement in place to sign Clauss, who was keen on joining Marseille this summer based on their qualification for the UEFA Champions League and the option to remain in his home country ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

As per L’Equipe, Clauss has been a ‘breakout superstar’ in France with RC Lens since their return to Ligue 1 in 2021, with the minnows finishing in the top half of the table in both of their last two seasons and developing some incredible talents in the process.

Crystal Palace have this summer signed midfielder Cheick Doucoure from Lens, whilst club captain Seko Fofana is widely regarded as one of the best players in France, with Clauss arguably their third best player over the past two years, with Marseille set to land the right-wingback.

As per the report, Premier League sides were interested in signing Clauss this summer, with Chelsea and Tottenham seemingly the two sides who made concrete steps in trying to get a deal done, though Marseille have now won the race to recruit the inspiring 29-year-old defender.

Reports suggest that Clauss could have moved for as much as £17m this summer, though it is expected that Marseille signed the fullback for a much smaller fee given that Lens have already made a huge profit this window in Doucoure’s departure to the Premier League with Palace.

Marseille are signing a superstar in Clauss

Football is a sport where anyone can become a star from the unlikeliest of places, and Clauss is no exception, with the defender playing French third-tier football as recently as 2017, and the defender signing for Marseille is an incredible move for both the player and the club.

Indeed, the wingback was one of Ligue 1’s best players last season with five goals and 11 assists, and for Chelsea and Tottenham, they’re missing out on a bargain signing this summer as Clauss looks set to dominate Europe with Marseille next season.