Lorenzi admits selling is the only way to unlock OM’s first signing

With the Ligue 1 season set to restart in a few days, Olympique de Marseille have yet to register any first‑team reinforcement, and the Mercato OM remains stalled. Sporting director Gregory Lorenzi warned that the club must sell players before any new arrivals can be signed.

The club’s scouting network has produced several leads around the squad of Bruno Genesio, yet the Marseille “degraissage” – the process of off‑loading players – remains difficult to finalise. Without those departures, the roster cannot be reshaped for the new campaign.

Interrogé on Friday before the friendly against Atlético de Madrid, Grégory Lorenzi told Ligue 1+ that Marseille must “sell before being able to register the arrival of new players”. He stressed that the lack of incoming transfers is directly linked to the unfinished sales.

OM has already transferred Mason Greenwood, Pierre‑Emerick Aubameyang and Geronimo Rulli. Despite those exits, the club’s accounts and wage bill have not been freed sufficiently to permit a first‑team signing.

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High‑wage targets under review

The board continues to search for solutions for several high‑salary players. Pierre‑Emile Højbjerg, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Amine Harit and Neal Maupay are identified as dossiers that could potentially unlock the financial situation.

Marseille must locate buyers, secure satisfactory compensation and cut heavy salaries to meet the financial commitments imposed by the authorities. Only by reducing the wage burden can the club create the space needed for new signings.

Timeline tight before market close

Lorenzi added that the club can accelerate once a departure satisfies the required financial conditions, noting that the market closes in sixteen days. Consequently, Bruno Genesio could face the Strasbourg match with a provisional squad and several unmet needs.

The next sale will not merely add an extra saving; it must truly launch Marseille’s Mercato in the direction of arrivals, allowing the club to rebuild the first‑team roster before the Ligue 1 restart.