Marseille: Chancel Mbemba's lawyer sets the record straight

19 May 2024. That was the last time Chancel Mbemba pulled on an Olympique de Marseille shirt, against Le Havre in Ligue 1. Frozen out over the summer in a bid to show him the exit, the Congolese defender was even removed from the first-team group before being reinstated in October 2024, in line with French football regulations. It was thought the winter transfer window would be the chance for the Leopard to move on. All the more so as Marseille set their asking price at 3 million euros.

That price has attracted plenty of clubs, according to several French media outlets. Foot Mercato even claimed that Montpellier, Al Fateh in the Saudi Pro League and, above all, Rennes have shown interest. All of the offers were turned down by Chancel Mbemba, according to the outlet.

"The information going around is false"

However, in the pages of La Provence, his lawyer has put the record straight. Maître Grégory Ernes has indeed decided to defend his client firmly. "The information going around is false. Since arriving at OM as a free agent, Chancel Mbemba has always shown an exemplary attitude towards the club. When he was told he would be excluded from the first training group, he set about training twice as hard. Today, he reads that he would be turning down every transfer offer made to him. That is completely untrue. He has not received a single concrete offer in the current transfer window. It is the large sum being asked that immediately puts off potentially interested clubs. Since no exit route is opening up, he has no choice but to behave like the committed professional that he is: he will respect his club and his contractual obligations until the end of his time in Marseille. However, should an offer come in, Chancel Mbemba will be happy to consider it seriously and transparently, so that a solution can be found in everyone's interest."