Premier League trio Aston Villa, West Ham United and Newcastle are in talks with Boubacar Kamara and Jorge Sampaoli admitting the midfielder could play his final game for Marseille this weekend, speaking to Le10 Sport.
Sunday’s clash with high-flying Strasbourg will be an emotional one for Kamara.
Marseille born and raised, and a graduate of the club’s academy, the France U21 star’s 170th appearance for L’OM could also be his last.
Northern Echo claim that Newcastle and West Ham have entered talks to sign Kamara this summer. A free-agent in July, his eye-watering £150,000-a-week wage demands will be offset by the absence of a transfer fee.
Aston Villa are in hot pursuit too, with the versatile, technically-gifted, hard-working Kamara fitting the bill for a club crying out for a top-class ‘number six’ (The Sun).
Is Boubacar Kamara leaving Marseille?
“He has been very good for us this season. He has played in several positions,” Sampaoli says of a man who has played in defensive midfield, in a box-to-box role, at centre-half and on the right across 2021/22 alone (via Le Provence).
“If this is his last match, we will be sad. But we will wish him the best. Analysis of why he is leaving is not for me to do. There are temptations, possibilities…”
Kamara, who was included in Didier Deschamps’ France squad ahead of June’s Nations League fixtures, is also on Tottenham Hotspur’s radar, per Goal.
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Aston Villa appear to be in pole position as it stands, however. And Kamara is certainly a more affordable option than, say, Kalvin Phillips, Yves Bissouma or Geoffrey Kondogbia.
“He was always very honest, he played from the heart and I respect him,” Sampaoli adds. “He has progressed a lot. I am happy to see him called up to the France team. He has a lot of talent.”
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