OM: the Velodrome Turkish head sold?

Olympique de Marseille, 3rd in Ligue 1 before their match against Lorient on Sunday evening (8:45 p.m.), is already thinking about the next summer transfer window.

If OM are still in the fight for 2nd place in Ligue 1, or even 1st, occupied by PSG, Pablo Longoria and the Marseille management as a whole are wasting no time, with a view to next season. The Spaniard has already targeted the shortcomings of his current squad and, in addition to the desire to see Alexis Sanchez (34) stay at the club, OM should look into elements of experience, to withstand the pressure of the Vélodrome.

The OM stadium, where the team has lost a lot of points this season, like last year, can be difficult for some players, including Leonardo Balerdi, to grasp.

Balerdi is back from suspension

The 24-year-old Argentinian, expelled against RC Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on March 12 (2-2), should return to the group, or even to the starting lineup, on Sunday. The central defender “I’m fine”according to one of his relatives, Gaston Maza, questioned by RMC. According to the latter, Leonardo Balerdi “has the mind to face and fight”while the former Borussia Dortmund player has been criticizing since his arrival at OM in 2020.

having grown up “at Boca Juniors”the defender knows the “warm atmospheres” and the “pressure” of OM and the Vélodrome, and hopes “to grow” at the club. In any case, Leonardo Balerdi “feels good in Marseille”.

A sale this summer?

The Argentinian therefore hopes to stay with the 3rd in Ligue 1, but is the converse true? According to information from RMCthe Marseille club “expects” to receive “some offers” for Leonardo Balerdi this summer, after approaches from Bologna and Ajax Amsterdam in recent months. Linked to OM until 2026, the player, “a real nice guy” appreciated by the locker room, does not read “the press nor the internet”according to Gaston Maza, and is therefore not aware of the rumors concerning him.

RMC does not indicate whether OM will accept offers for their defender, valued at 10 million euros according to Transfermarkt. But often taken to task by the supporters, and regularly expelled, Leonardo Balerdi could look elsewhere, all the more so if OM sells him at a good price, and manages to find a less fragile player to replace him.