Paixao at OM: Lorenzi admits financial constraints but wants to keep him

Grégory Lorenzi partially lifted the veil on Igor Paixao’s future Friday, the day after the Europa League draw. Olympique de Marseille’s sporting director acknowledged that the club’s budget constraints could make it impossible to keep the Brazilian striker, one of the most sought-after players in the squad.

“There’s no standoff. We obviously want to keep our best players,” Lorenzi said. “He’s an important player for OM. He’s quite in demand. That doesn’t mean he’ll leave.” But the executive quickly tempered this surface optimism: “Today, there’s a situation where we may not have the possibility. We’re going to fight to do everything we can and keep him at OM. We have constraints linked to our financial means.”

OM, whose owner Frank McCourt is seeking to balance the club’s books, finds itself in a delicate position. According to available information, coach Bruno Genesio would oppose any departure of Paixao, considered a key player in his system. This divergence between sporting imperatives and economic realities lies at the heart of the matter.

Lorenzi also clarified that a potential sale would not automatically lead to recruitment. “Just because we sell a player doesn’t mean we’ll have the right to recruit. We need to get that into our heads.” The club is also exploring internal avenues to ease its wage bill, particularly by negotiating agreements with players already under contract.

“We have little time to find solutions, but we’re fighting day and night,” the sporting director concluded, summing up the urgency of a situation that should become clearer in the coming weeks.