Bruno Genesio has been officially appointed as the new manager of Olympique de Marseille, signing a two-year contract, the club confirmed on Wednesday. The appointment comes as Marseille anticipates a significant period of player sales to comply with financial regulations set by the DNCG, the French football league’s financial watchdog.
According to reports in L’Équipe, Marseille’s leadership informed the DNCG of plans for numerous player departures throughout the 2026-2027 season. While the club has yet to finalize any sales, other Ligue 1 teams such as Olympique Lyonnais and AS Monaco have already moved players on to manage their wage bills – Afonso Moreira to Bayer Leverkusen and Caio Henrique to Ajax respectively.
New sporting director Grégory Lorenzi, working alongside former manager Medhi Benatia, has reportedly provided agents with a list of players who could be available for transfer. This list includes Ulisses Garcia, Amine Harit, and Neal Maupay, all returning from loan spells with Sassuolo, Basaksehir, and Sevilla FC respectively, as well as Geoffrey Kondogbia and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The club prefers transfers to contract terminations, seeking to maintain some financial flexibility.
The situation surrounding Aubameyang, who recently turned 37, is considered less complex. Marseille is hoping to secure a transfer fee of around €1.5 million for the Gabon international, with interest from clubs in Turkey, Major League Soccer, Saudi Arabia, and Spain – notably Betis and Atlético Madrid who previously expressed interest in January. Aubameyang is reportedly receptive to working with Genesio, leaving open the possibility of activating a second year on his contract.
Marseille’s overall aim is to reduce its wage bill from approximately €160 million for the 2025-2026 season to under €100 million. Players who receive suitable offers are expected to be allowed to leave, including Amine Gouiri, who attracted interest from Juventus in January. Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, valued at around €10 million, is also a potential departure, though his salary presents a challenge for potential suitors. Hamed Junior Traoré is attracting attention from Auxerre, while Angel Gomes and Leonardo Balerdi are seen as opportunities to generate a profit.
Fenerbahçe is pursuing Mason Greenwood, having agreed terms with his representative, but their transfer offers fall short of Marseille’s minimum demand of €50 million. AS Roma remains a strong contender for Greenwood’s signature. Atlético Madrid is also expected to enter the race for the 24-year-old, with manager Diego Simeone seeking to bolster his attack following a likely departure of Julian Alvarez. Atlético’s interest is specifically in Greenwood as a finisher, rather than a right winger.
