French report suggests Marseille could bid €25m for Tottenham’s Sissoko

The season is over. Let the offseason transfer speculation begin in earnest! One of the storylines that will no doubt be swirling continuously this offseason is the future of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko. It’s safe to call his first season at Spurs “disastrous,” and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if this past season at White Hart Lane is his only one.

French daily L’Equipe has reported (via Inside Futbol) that relations between Sissoko and Pochettino are at an “all time low” and that the two are barely on speaking terms now, which only fuels the speculation that Sissoko, who badly wants back on the French national team, is ready for another fresh start.

Enter the rando French media! The latest rumor, courtesy of French paper Le Journal du Dimanche, suggests that Olympique Marseille has the cash offer Sissoko an escape hatch from North London, and could offer as much as €25m to bring him back to France, something that Sissoko is open to, if Marseille shows enough ambition in the transfer market. LJDD also suggests that both Milan clubs are also considering making a bid for Sissoko this summer, as well as “a Premier League club.”

Tottenham reportedly agreed to pay £30m for Sissoko on a five-year contract. With almost all transfer fees in football amortized over the life of a player’s contract, Spurs have now paid £6m out of his transfer fee, with £24m remaining. If Marseille would offer €25m (£21.6m) that then represents an “accounting loss” of only £2.4m for the forthcoming fiscal year. Not to mention that it gets Sissoko off the wage bill.

I know virtually nothing about French sports media sources apart from the big ones such as L’Equipe. LJDD might be the French Daily Star for all I know. But if this is anywhere close to accurate, Spurs should take it without hesitation. In fact, barring a ludicrous bid from somewhere like China or the Middle East, €25m is about as much as we could possibly hope for a player like Sissoko, and Daniel Levy would probably gnaw his hand off at the wrist for such a deal.

I naturally have my doubts about this report. Spurs (and Sissoko) are off to Hong Kong shortly, and with the season barely in the rear view mirror I’d guess that we won’t see any major moves reported with accuracy for at least another few weeks. There’s also plenty of wiggle room in LJDD’s article — it sounds more like the clubs are sounding out possibilities, with no concrete offers made.

However, Spurs have shown a willingness to get their business done early, and if there’s a Ligue 1 side willing to take Sissoko off the club’s hands, it’d be best for all sides so long as an equitable deal can be made.