Marseille have decided to withdraw their offer for youngster Isaac Lihadji, improving Arsenal’s chances of securing the highly-rated youngster.
Lihadji is one of the most promising prospects in Marseille’s academy but will see his contract with the French side expire in the summer.
That had attracted interest in him from around Europe, with Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton all named as suitors from the Premier League alone.
Marseille had been working on getting him signed up to a new extended deal, but their offer has now been withdrawn, according to La Provence.
They say that the club had reached an agreement on a three-year deal, but the club’s leaders have become “tired of the procrastination of the player and his entourage and especially by the significant length of the duration of the negotiations”, according to RMC.
That has led them to withdraw the offer, with Marseille sports director Andoni Zubizarreta informing him of their decision on Tuesday morning.
The player’s entourage have now told La Provence they will now ‘look elsewhere’ if Marseille ‘do not want to keep us’, which will come as good news to the likes of Arsenal.
La Provence’s report names them as one of the ‘contenders’ for Lihadji, alongside the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Monaco and Barcelona, so presumably, they will be making their move with Marseille stepping aside.
