Marseille are angry with Duje Caleta-Car for snubbing a Deadline Day transfer to Wolves, having also turning down a move to West Ham United this summer, per RMC Sport.
The Ligue 1 giants were relying on Caleta-Car leaving the Stade Velodrome to remove the constraints restricting their own activity. OM needed the sell the Croatian to afford deals to strengthen Jorge Sampaoli’s squad, which sits fifth in the standings.
Wolves made a last-ditch play for Caleta-Car on Tuesday, but he nor his partner had any appetite for the move. Bruno Lage’s outfit offered Marseille €15m (£13m) for the 24-year-old, while bonuses could have seen the fee reach €18m (£15.5m).
Caleta-Car snubbed Wolves a few weeks after also rejecting leaving Marseille for West Ham and later turned away Valencia. The La Liga outfit came forward with a potential switch in the closing hours of the window, but were unsuccessful.
Reports by L’Equipe earlier in August claimed David Moyes’ side bid €14m (£12m) rising to €17m (£14.5m) with potential add-ons. The Hammers had also explored signing Caleta-Car in the summer of 2020, but – like this year – he refused to move.
Moving to Molineux did not appeal to the 16-cap international or, particularly, his wife – who recently gave birth – either. Caleta-Car will likely now stay in southern France, until at least January, after all major European markets closed on Tuesday.
Additionally, the former RB Salzburg enforcer Marseille paid almost €19m (£16.5m) for in 2018 will hope to re-enter Sampaoli’s plans. The Argentine coach is yet to call on Caleta-Car to feature for a single second in Ligue 1 this season. Sampaoli has even omitted him from three of OM’s four league squads – only appearing on the bench on matchday two.
Will Wolves and West Ham rue Caleta-Car snubbing Marseille exit?
Lage and Moyes clearly wanted Marseille outcast Caleta-Car to improve the defences they have available at Wolves and West Ham. But, in the end, he denied both their intended upgrade and must now show Sampaoli why he deserved to stay.
Caleta-Car was a mainstay of Andre Villas-Boas and later Sampaoli’s plans last season with 33 Ligue 1 appearances, starting 32. He helped OM keep five clean sheets, too, and has watched them concede in all four fixtures this term. Including the abandoned Nice fixture.
So, Sampaoli may want to reintroduce Caleta-Car to help turn Marseille’s leaky record around after rejecting Wolves and West Ham. Calling on the 6 ft 4 centre-back his defensive partner Alvaro Gonzalez lauds.
“Duje’s a young player but also experienced, having played a World Cup and in Europe,” Alvaro said, via Ligue1.com. “We need somebody with the kind of quality he’s shown in recent years; experienced but young. He brings us a lot with his size, power and physicality, and he’s also good on the ball.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
