DNCG could force OM to sell Hojbjerg and Paixao this winter

Olympique de Marseille could be forced to sell Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Igor Paixao during the January transfer window, according to L’Équipe. The DNCG, which is set to meet with OM’s management in early December, is expected to impose new sales to clean up the club’s finances.

The timing is particularly cruel for Bruno Genesio. Second-to-last in Ligue 1 after five matches with only three points, Marseille strung together five consecutive victories to climb to fourth place. The club is now in the race for Europe, but its manager could once again see his squad stripped of key players.

Hojbjerg is targeted due to his high salary, Paixao due to his market value. Both players had already come close to leaving the club during the summer transfer window. Last summer, OM signed no players, a decision that had allowed them to slightly rebalance the books without ruling out the threat of a sanction from French football’s financial watchdog.

Despite this tense economic context, Genesio has managed to get the best out of a reduced squad. But the prospect of losing two regulars in the middle of the season, just as the club has regained positive momentum, would be another blow for a manager already deeply affected by how events unfolded during the last summer transfer window.