Lorient demands at least €20m for Pablo Pagis, OM's top target

FC Lorient has set its price for Pablo Pagis: at least €20 million. According to Ouest-France, Olympique de Marseille is one of the clubs most seriously positioned for the 23-year-old left winger, who has enjoyed a remarkable season with the Merlus.

With 10 goals and 5 assists in 28 Ligue 1 matches, Pagis has been one of the architects of Lorient’s 10th-place finish, a respectable record for a club capable of troubling the big teams throughout the season. These performances have naturally whetted the appetite of several ambitious clubs.

The club’s president, Loïc Féry, wanted to correct the estimates circulating in the press. “When I read that Pablo Pagis is going to leave for €10 million… I can reassure everyone, if Pablo Pagis leaves, it won’t be for €10 million. It will rather start with a 2, or even a bit more,” he said. Transfermarkt currently values the player at €15 million.

Féry had already hinted that the player’s departure was not ruled out. “Pablo Pagis expressed to both Laurent (Koscielny, the sporting director) and myself that his wish was rather to try to take a step up. The club needs to benefit from it, but it’s not impossible that Pablo Pagis is transferred this summer.”

The player himself did not hide behind ambiguous language. “I think it’s the right time. There are ambitious clubs here, projects that could interest me. It’s flattering, it’s a reward for my work,” the winger, who has been with Lorient since 2018, confided.

Versatile — capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or second striker — Pagis is also the son of Mickaël Pagis, a former striker who played at the Vélodrome. A symbolic detail that will not fail to fuel Marseille’s interest, even if Lorient intends to make his departure costly.