Ayoze Perez was tentatively linked with Barcelona in 2014, 2015 and 2016. According to the claims, Barcelona were interested in developing Perez with their B team and giving him the chance to one day break through to the club’s first team squad.
Perez himself talked about the situation, explaining he’d picked Newcastle United over Barcelona and others because he wanted a realistic chance of playing.
Espoirs du Football claim Marseille officials have travelled several times to see Perez in action for Newcastle United, clearly having a serious interest in a transfer. The officials are building up reports which would influence an approach to Newcastle United and how much Marseille would be prepared to pay.
Petite info : L’OM s’est déplacé plusieurs fois en Angleterre pour observer le milieu offensif espagnol Ayoze Perez (1993, Newcastle).
— EspoirsduFootball (@EspoirsduFoot) April 2, 2017
Perez has mainly played as an attacking midfielder for Newcastle United so far this season, and it’s not an area of immediate concern for Marseille. It wouldn’t be a cheap transfer for the French club and Perez would likely only be interested if assured of a more prominent role than he believes he’ll have at Newcastle next season.
Whether Marseille could honestly provide those assurances is doubtful.
