June 30th Marseille deadline good news for Liverpool
Published:It is no secret that Marseille have to sell players to get their accounts back on a level playing field, with some comments suggesting that they need to make as much as €7m before June 30th.
Marcelo Bielsa has recently been confirmed as the club’s new manager and he will have to run the rule over his squad fairly quickly to decide who he wishes to keep and who is surplus to requirements.
There is interest from Newcastle for Andre Ayew, while French World Cup squad members Steve Mandanda and Mathieu Valbuena are certainly worth lofty sums.
Liverpool are known to be in the market for wingers and they could do far worse than Valbuena, especially if picking him up for a figure below his true market value.
Valbuena averaged more key passes per game than any other player in Ligue 1 this season.
However, it is another Marseille player that Liverpool appear to have a greater interest in, although one that Bielsa is said to be a lot more determined to keep.
Nicolas N’Koulou has also been a long-term target of Arsenal, while Napoli had an offer in the region of £12m rejected in January.
Having conceded 50 goals this season, Liverpool could do with tightening up in defence and N’Koulou also favours the passing game that would make him a good fit at Anfield.
Meanwhile, the fact that the 24-year-old was included in the Ligue 1 team of the year in both the 2011/12 and 2012/13 campaigns shows the quality he possesses and the esteem in which he is held.
Furthermore, not only could Liverpool potentially shave a few million off his cost by signing N’Koulou before June 30th, they would also avoid a risk of a price hike if he has an impressive World Cup with Cameroon.
Whoever signs N’Koulou would be enhancing their prospects of winning the Premier League title next season, with Liverpool priced at 5/1 and Arsenal at 9/1.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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