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On Wednesday, Ligue 1 side Lyon announced the departure of Brazilian central defender Marcelo by mutual agreement, after he was moved to the reserves earlier this season for falling out with coaching staff in the 1st team squad.
The 34-year-old was tied to OL until June 2023, but played a major role during his time at the club, making 167 appearances in all competitions and having several spells a team captain.
Marcelo earlier this month rejected proposals from Turkey.
As reported by L’Équipe, Newcastle United and Lyon are nearing an agreement over the transfer of OL midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
After a €40m bid on Tuesday from the English club, Lyon had publicly denied any agreement with Newcastle, however, a deal is now near over a transfer fee of €42m plus €10m in bonuses.
If agreed, the player will be able to continue negotiations over salary, Newcastle have offered to quadruple his wage, and have a medical on Friday in Brazil as he is currently away with the Brazilian national team.
As reported by Foot Mercato, PSG’s young right-back Colin Dagba will not be leaving Paris this month.
Despite the player wanting more game time, offers from Saint-Étienne, Venezia and Real Mallorca were refused by Paris due to the 23-year-old being second choice behind Achraf Hakimi for his position.
Having emerged from PSG’s youth system, Dagba has played 76 times so far for PSG since the start of the 2018/19 season and was a particular favourite of former coach Thomas Tuchel.
This article is taken from the new GFFN 100 2021. The GFFN 100 ranks the top 100 players in French football over the past 12 months, see the full list and read all 100 profiles right here on GFFN.
When you’re a defender in a team competing on the wrong end of the table, there’s always the likelihood that perceptions of your ability will not match reality. Things like clean sheets and goals conceded will almost certainly make you look bad. And even if you are able to beat all that to earn a positive reputation, bigger teams would still think twice before committing to a transfer. For Nayef Aguerd, this may have been one of the main reasons why he never got the respect he deserved while at Dijon. Admittedly, he didn’t play a lot of games due to injuries and the premature end to the 2019/20 Ligue 1 season due to the pandemic. However, in the games in which he did play, the signs were there. He was a diamond in the rough.
Dijon were not always the eyesore they were in the 2020/21 season when relegation was inevitable months before it happened. In fact, while Aguerd was there, they were one of the more exciting teams in the league – even if results didn’t always reflect that. They were a team loved by neutrals, not just because of how they played but also because of the players they had on show. Aguerd may not have had the swagger of forward Mounir Chouiar or the relentless hustle of striker Julio Tavares, but he was often a rock at the back.
Whenever he played, the Dijon defence looked a lot less vulnerable, the quality of their build-up was elevated and he was so dominant in the air that he affected things in both boxes. Poor performances were obviously expected every now and then but it was clear he could slot seamlessly into a team with bigger ambitions. That team turned out to be Stade Rennais, who swooped for the Morocco international in the summer of 2020, paying just over €4m.
As far as bargains go over recent seasons, Aguerd has been up there for Rennes and indeed Ligue 1. Rennes were a team playing Champions League football for the first time in their history, going from Dijon to a team playing at such a high level was always going to be a huge ask, but Aguerd has handled it brilliantly. The club’s Champions League campaign was forgettable but their new defender still performed admirably while consistently delivering fine performances in Ligue 1. In fact, he played 35 of 38 league games and finished the season with more appearances in all competitions than in any other season in his professional career. It was evidence of his quality and that he was able to quickly become a key member of the side in just his first season, despite the huge jump.
It was in December 2020 that Aguerd really started to enjoy his football as Rennes turned around a wretched start to the season. Even during February 2021’s dip in results, Aguerd remained one of the shining lights. Julien Stéphan’s departure and Bruno Genesio’s arrival didn’t affect his place in the team or his importance as Rennes experienced a resurgence that pushed them to a sixth-place finish and qualification for the maiden Europa Conference League. Aguerd’s contributions were key and many took notice. As a result of his performances, he was nominated for the Marc-Vivien-Foé prize, awarded to the best African football player playing in the French Football Championship.
In the summer, he was the subject of a €20m bid from English Premier League club West Ham, but Rennes refused to let him go. Slowly but surely, he’d finally caught the eye not just in France but in England. In hindsight, they made the right choice because his profile has kept rising and his start to the 2021/22 season has been nothing short of brilliant. Again, he‘s been dominant in both boxes, while also showing his range as a defender. By mid-December, he led the league in touches, was third for aerials won, third for clearances, third for percentage of aerials won, fourth for progressive passing distance and sixth for progressive carrying distance. He was also second for pass targets – as he was last season – a sign that he always knows where to be to receive a pass and constantly makes himself available.
Whether you need the Moroccan to lead your build-up with his progressive passing or carrying, or you need him to deal with threats, he responds emphatically. On top of that, he’s already scored four goals in all competitions. Rennes topped their Europa Conference League group which included Tottenham Hotspur and are currently Champions League spot contenders along with Marseille and OGC Nice.
In 2021, Aguerd also became more important for the Moroccan national team. From four caps in four years before 2021, he now has 16 caps and was an important member of the team during the African Cup of Nations. He has also been an important part of their flawless World Cup qualifying campaign and will expect to play in Qatar if Morocco get past the final phase of qualifiers.
When the 2021 began, eyes were starting to turn towards Nayef Aguerd, as many wondered just how good he was and would become. At this point, it’s clear he’s one of Ligue 1’s top defenders. It‘s inevitable that teams bigger than West Ham will look his way in 2022. It remains to be seen if Rennes will be able to keep their star asset beyond this season.
Astorre S. Cerebrone
Julien Maynard of Téléfoot reports tonight that Brest and Lyon have agreed terms over the transfer of midfielder Romain Faivre ahead of his late-window move.
The 23-year-old, previously linked to Milan as well as Paris Saint-Germain, will instead move to Les Gones, with the former Monaco man expected in the city tomorrow to undergo his medical.
The transfer fee will be an initial €15m, along with an additional €3m in potential bonuses, as he signs a contract running until 2027. The former French youth international leaves after a successful year and a half in Brittany.
In an interview with RMC Sport, Lille manager Jocelyn Gourvennec notably reflected on the critical reactions he was subjected to on being named Christophe Galtier’s successor over the summer.
“Yes, I was being slaughtered and at the same time I was protecting myself from that, I didn’t want to play into the controvery, I never complained. I didn’t want to waste energy over nothing. I found it harsh but once you’ve made that assessment, you have to move forward and I got into a bubble in order to help Lille because that’s the mission I was entrusted with.”
“I never wanted to get into that debate, I had to prove myself and I think I’ve done so by respecting the club, the task I’ve been offered, the people at the club, and also the media because I’ve never shied away from those discussions. Nowadays, we’ve done some great things but the work isn’t over yet because we still have important things to do in Ligue 1 and in the Champions League. We have to go further, get people dreaming – we still have some great moments to experience.”
L’Équipe report this afternoon that out-of-favour Bordeaux striker Josh Maja could be set for a move back to England, namely to Championship team Stoke City.
The two clubs are currently in talks over the former Sunderland forward, who would leave on a loan deal with a permanent option.
The 23-year-old, who spent the latter half of last season on loan at Fulham, has made only 4 appearances in all competitions this campaign, scoring once in the Coupe de France.
Paris Saint-Germain have today announced that veteran defender Sergio Ramos has suffered another calf issue, that will keep him out of tomorrow night’s cup tie against Nice.
The Spaniard, who suffered a similar injury in the same area on arriving this summer from Real Madrid, had seen his debut delayed by several months, has seen his first season in Paris blighted by injury.
PSG have indicated that this week’s calf muscle injury was sustained in Thursday’s training session, and will see him rested until he is reassessed in the middle of the week.
Canal+, via Canal Supporters, report this evening that Kylian Mbappé’s entourage has denied reports of an agreement with Real Madrid over a free transfer next summer.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward had earlier today been the subject of reports from Sport Bild claiming that the deal was complete and would see the World Cup winner earn €50m a year.
Nevertheless, this report has now been refuted by the forward’s representatives. The two clubs in question face off next month in the Champions League Round of 16, in a set of ties that will see Mbappé himself at the centre of attention following his push to leave for the Spaniards last summer.
In the midst of the celebrations after scoring the winning penalty to lift the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, forward Sadio Mané was notably asked about a potential move to Marseille.
In an Instagram live hosted by teammate and OM player Pape Gueye, the Liverpool man appeared to offer himself to the Ligue 1 club, albeit in jokingly. The former Metz man has nevertheless said in the past that he was a Marseille fan himself.
“Marseille, make an effort, put in the money and I’ll come! You have to pay the transfer and I’ll come! [laughs]”