Olympique de Marseille midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi (24) has officially joined Serie A side Lazio on loan with an option to make the move permanent, both clubs have announced.
The 24-year-old midfielder was no longer an undisputed starter at Marseille. Guendouzi joined Les Phocéens from Arsenal two years ago in a €11m deal. He quickly became a fan favourite at the Vélodrome under the guidance of Jorge Sampaoli for his dedication and his efforts off the ball, so much so that he played every Ligue 1 game of the 2021-22 campaign. His game time dwindled with the arrival of Igor Tudor and OM considered selling him soon after that. New coach Marcelino also didn’t see a long-term future for him in the squad.
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𝗨𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗼 𝗱𝗶 𝘂𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼#AvantiLazio 🦅 pic.twitter.com/VGr5R0Ldrk— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) August 31, 2023
Marseille and Lazio have reportedly agreed to a season-long loan including a €13m mandatory option with a further €5m in performance-related bonuses attainable. Maurizio Sarri’s side were in the market for a midfielder following the €40m sale of Serbia international Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (28) to PIF-funded Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. Guendouzi was committed to Marseille over a contract set to expire in 2025.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
