Marseille reach Tanguy Ndombele agreement but wait on sales

Olympique Marseille have reached an agreement with Tanguy Ndombele, but the move remains on hold.

Bruno Genesio made clear after the 2-0 defeat at Monaco that Marseille will not sign anyone unless they first sell two or three important players, something he considers unlikely to happen in the final 48 hours of the window.

Ndombele, who is free after leaving Nice last summer, has already given his approval to join OM. The problem is purely administrative and financial: Marseille cannot register him until space is created in the squad.

Genesio knows the midfielder well from their time together at Lyon, where Ndombele impressed with his talent and ability to drive games from midfield. But his career has since been disrupted by recurring injury problems, which have made several clubs cautious.

For Marseille, the situation is clear. The club likes the player and the player likes the club, but the timing is difficult. Unless sales happen quickly, the agreement may stay only a promise. That leaves OM with one more frustrating late-window puzzle and Ndombele waiting for the situation to open up.