Höjbjerg and Paixao pushed towards the exit, OM facing a constrained winter transfer window

Olympique de Marseille is approaching the winter transfer window under pressure to sell, with Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg and Igor Paixao as the main targets for departure. The information comes from Mohamed Toubache-Ter, an insider and former sporting director, who stated on X that the two players “want to leave Marseille next January”.

The financial situation of the Marseille club explains this new wave of departures announced. President Stéphane Richard himself acknowledged that the efforts made during the summer transfer window were not enough to satisfy UEFA and the National Financial Control Board (DNCG). The previous management would have left the club in a critical situation, forcing new sporting director Grégory Lorenzi to manage the emergency with no room for maneuver to recruit.

Last summer, both players had already nearly left. Höjbjerg refused to join Newcastle despite a €15 million agreement between the two clubs. Paixao was retained by Bruno Genesio when a deal worth over €30 million was already sealed with Sunderland. Eight players ultimately left OM during that off-season, without any reinforcements coming in the opposite direction.

Toubache-Ter also points to Paixao’s entourage as a source of internal tensions: “The communication from his wife is very annoying,” he specifies. The Brazilian striker, limited to two goals in ten appearances this season, carries little sporting weight to justify an extension of his stay in Marseille.

To meet the demands of Frank McCourt, the club’s American owner, the Marseille sporting sector intends to simultaneously develop its young players — a strategy already displayed in recent months, whose limitations have nevertheless been revealed on the pitch.