Transfer Centre

Marseille sign Matteo Guendouzi from Arsenal on loan

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 06 July 2021

Marseille confirm the arrival of French midfielder Matteo Guendouzi from Arsenal on loan with an obligation to buy for €11m (£9.4m) next summer.

Marseille have confirmed the arrival of midfielder Matteo Guendouzi from Arsenal.

The France Under-21 international returns to Ligue 1 after a three-year spell in North London, but his last game for the Gunners came over a year ago as he was frozen out of the team for disciplinary issues.

Guendouzi's Arsenal career was left in tatters following a fracas with Brighton & Hove Albion's Neal Maupay, after which he was dropped from Mikel Arteta's squad and spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Hertha Berlin.

However, the Bundesliga side did not take up their offer of a permanent deal, and Marseille moved to secure the midfielder's signature before announcing his arrival on Tuesday morning.

The deal is believed to be worth approximately £10m to Arsenal, should Les Olympiens take up their option to purchase the midfielder in the summer of 2022.

Guendouzi recently said farewell to Arsenal with a heartfelt message on social media, and he leaves the club having scored one goal and assisted five more in 82 appearances across all competitions.

The Frenchman is expected to be joined by William Saliba at the Orange Velodrome, with the Gunners defender thought to be closing in on a season-long loan move back to his homeland for the third time.