Marseille have signed Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi on a season-long loan with the option to buy.
Guendouzi, who joined the Gunners from Lorient in 2018 but spent the 2020-21 campaign out on loan at Hertha Berlin, confirmed he was leaving the north London club in a social media post on Monday.
He made 82 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring once, but has not played for the club since June 2020.
What was said?
A statement on Marseille's website confirming the deal read: "Matteo Guendouzi has signed up with Marseille for a one-year loan with an option to buy.
"Guendouzi is a modern midfielder, technically strong and with good passing ability.
"A player of character, he has a good view of the game. These qualities he will undoubtedly be able to share with the Marseille team."
How much did Marseille pay for Guendouzi?
As reported by Goal last week, Marseille will pay a fee of £850,000 to take Guendouzi on loan for the coming season.
The French side will then pay around £9 million ($12m) to turn the move permanent in the summer of 2022.
In all, Arsenal will receive around £10m ($14m) for the France U-21 international.
The bigger picture
Guendouzi was a regular in the Arsenal side under Unai Emery, but found himself increasingly out of favour following the appointment of Mikel Arteta in December 2019.
He was dropped from the side during the restart last summer after an incident involving Brighton's Neal Maupay, with his manager later making it clear he was unhappy with the player's attitude.
Guendouzi would never play for the Gunners again, having been loaned out to Hertha Berlin for the 2020-21 campaign, and on Monday confirmed he was leaving Emirates Stadium after three years.
Will Arsenal replace Guendouzi?
As reported by Goal, the Gunners are hopeful of swiftly wrapping up a move for Anderlecht midfielder Albert Lokonga, who is expected to join for a fee of around £18m ($25m).
They have also agreed a £7m ($11m) deal with Benfica for left-back Nuno Tavares, who flew to London last week to complete his move to Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal and Marseille are also in talks over a loan move for William Saliba, with the young centre-back believed to be keen on a move to France.
Further reading
- Who is Nuno Tavares? Arsenal's £7m transfer target
- Arsenal appoint Jover as specialist set-piece coach
- Fabregas backs Arteta for Arsenal success