The Olympique de Marseille is approaching the summer mercato with increased caution, despite a stronger financial situation than its competitors in Ligue 1. This approach is a direct consequence of Frank McCourt’s commitment to more rigorous financial management after an expensive 2024-2025 season. The club’s management, represented by Pablo Longoria and Medhi Benatia, is forced to focus on sales before considering new arrivals, an imperative strategy to generate financial resources and meet the expectations of the new coach, Roberto De Zerbi.

This pre-sales strategy is likely to lead to several departures within the team. Key players like Amine Harit, Azzine Ounahi and Valentin Rongier are potentially involved. Rongier, in particular, whose offer of extension has been refused, is considered a valuable element to revive the club’s finances. The internal objective is to accelerate these divestitures in order to free up quickly the funds necessary to increase the workforce, in accordance with the needs identified by De Zerbi.

This new orientation of the club reflects a desire to build a more sustainable project, while maintaining a sporting ambition. Although OM is economically more resilient than many other Ligue 1 clubs, it cannot escape the constraints of mercato. The Longoria-Benatia duo will therefore have to navigate carefully between financial requirements and high sporting requirements, in the hope of building a competitive team without compromising the financial health of the club. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining the ability of OM to reconcile these two aspects.

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