Marseille forward Igor Paixao ‘was just ten minutes away’ from joining Sunderland at the end of the transfer window.
Le Journal du Dimanche report that Sunderland were close to sealing a €30m deal for the Brazilian forward before Marseille’s leadership intervened.
Financial pressure
The newspaper explains that French football’s financial watchdog – the DNCG – has taken drastic measures to bring Marseille in line. They want the French club to slash their wage bill by nearly half.
That caused a summer in which Marseille were in cost cutting measures. Several big players departed but the numbers still don’t add up. As a result, Marseille have been left paralysed in the market.
Manager Bruno Genesio is already showing signs of increased bitterness at the squad he has been left with. But that could have been worse on deadline day.
Le Journal du Dimanche’s information is that Igor Paixao was just ten minutes away from a €30m move to Sunderland. Sport Witness reported through deadline day that Sunderland were working on a deal for the 26-year-old.
| Every Sunderland signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Malick Fofana | Lyon | £26m |
| Dayann Méthalie | Toulouse | £24m |
| Jules Ahoka | Royal Antwerp | £8.6m |
| Juan Riquelme Angulo | Independiente del Valle | £5m |
| Kevin Danso | Tottenham Hotspur | Loan |
| Thomas Meunier | Lille | Free Transfer |
Manager would have resigned
Marseille owner Frank McCourt was happy to sanction the move. But it took all the persuasive powers of Stéphane Richard – Marseille’s president – and sporting director Greg Lorenzi to convince McCourt’s inner circle to reverse that course.
“Had he been sold, Genesio would almost certainly have resigned,” sources at the La Commanderie training center confirm told the outlet. Eventually it seems the deal was cancelled and the Brazilian remained where he was.
But there is a growing tension at the French club over the whole affair. The sale of Paixao would have only added to a summer in which star players were sold out unceremoniously. Others, such as Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, resisted while being pushed out.
With financial issues still causing problems, though, sales are needed in January. Sunderland might have an opportunity at that point, after being just ten minutes away from the deal in the summer.
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