Nakamura in OM's sights to replace Paixao, but Everton ahead of Marseille

With five days left until the close of the summer transfer window, OM has still not completed the sales required by the DNCG and UEFA to balance its accounts, but the Phocaean club has already targeted a Plan B in case Igor Paixao departs: Japanese international Keito Nakamura, left winger for Stade de Reims.

Bruno Genesio himself acknowledged it last Friday, following the inaugural Ligue 1 victory against Strasbourg (4-0): three or four players must be sold before considering any recruitment. Yet the high-value assets — Leonardo Balerdi, Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, Quinten Timber, Nayef Aguerd, Timothy Weah, Amine Gouiri and Igor Paixao — are all still in the squad, to the satisfaction of a manager who wishes to retain his key players.

This is precisely the case with Paixao, who is crystallizing tensions. The Brazilian striker, recruited from Rotterdam for €35 million last summer, has attracted Sunderland’s interest. A potential sale — for a sum at best equivalent to the initial investment — would place OM in urgent need of finding a replacement on the left flank of the attack.

According to information from Reims, the Nakamura option has returned to the agenda. OM had already inquired about the 26-year-old player nearly two months ago, but the Champagne club’s executives had then demanded between €20 and €25 million, a budget deemed unthinkable by Marseille in its current financial situation. Rumors of Marseille’s interest are said to have originated from Japan itself, but Everton appears to have gained a significant advantage in this matter, further complicating OM’s plans.