The mercato of the Olympique de Marseille is currently marked by major setbacks concerning the arrival of Igor Paixão, the left winger designated as a priority. His injury during a selection training with the Feyenoord, distanced him from the ground and endangered his arrival at OM. Despite a contractual agreement with the Marseille club, the Feyenoord maintains a firm position and requires 40 million euros, an amount deemed excessive by the Olympian management. This situation could delay or even compromise the operation, with a possible absence of Paixão for the go match of the Champions League. Rumors of “diplomatic injury” are circulating, suggesting an attempt by the player to force his departure, but nothing confirms this hypothesis. Faced with this uncertainty, OM may be forced to explore other avenues to strengthen its attack.

At the same time, the club continues its training-oriented recruitment policy, with the imminent arrival of the 18-year-old central defender Pladi N的Zinga Pambani. The player, from Montpellier Hérault SC, should take his medical check-up Tuesday before signing his first three-season professional contract. This signature is part of a local talent development strategy, aimed at fuelling the transition between youth teams and the professional workforce. OM wants to gradually integrate internally trained players into its first team to meet the requirements of Ligue 1 and European competition. This reflects the club’s ambitions to train and detect young talent at the national level.

In another case, Juventus Turin officially abandoned its track for Leonardo Balerdi, OM’s Argentine defender. The Italian club, initially very interested by the player, met a firm resistance from the Marseilles management, who absolutely does not want to let him go. Despite the insistence of coach Igor Tudor, OM is intransigent and does not consider the transfer as possible. This decision underlines Balerdi’s importance in the Olympian project and the desire to retain its key players to build a competitive team in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. This attitude demonstrates a strong signal from OM: its major players will leave only on condition of an exceptional offer.