Olympique Marseille faces competition from clubs in Spain and England for the signature of Aymeric Laporte. The Al-Nassr defender is attracting interest from across Europe, but who will win the race for his signature?
The 24/25 season is heading towards its final phase, and with it comes the classic dance of names ahead of the transfer market. In Saudi Arabia, the exodus of top-level players will remain latent and will affect teams such as Al-Nassr. Aymeric Laporte has been playing there since 2023.
The Spanish international still has one more year left on his contract, but everything points to him returning to Europe. There are several teams interested in his signing: from Spain, England, and France. Olympique de Marseille is the team that is taking the most steps forward to achieve its services and shore up the defense.
Laporte has decided to leave Saudi Arabia as soon as the current season ends. Al-Nassr comes from winning against Al-Hilal on Friday (1-3) but still they are in the third position with 54 points, eight from the lead that is in the hands of Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad. The options to win a title for the one from Agen and Cristiano Ronaldo are in the AFC Champions League, where they will play the quarterfinals against Yokohama Marinos (April 26 to a single match).
It is not the first time that there has been speculation about Aymeric Laporte’s departure from Saudi Arabia. The player himself says he feels disappointed with the treatment received in the Arab country: “At the moment, I have not considered it, but if I am disappointed in such a short time, you wonder what to do. That moment has not arrived yet, but in the future it could be if that dynamic continues like this,” he said a few months ago.
And he added: “They take care of us, but not enough for my taste. That is to say, in Europe they pay you a good salary, but they take care of you much more.”
Olympique Marseille’s long-standing interest
Olympique de Marseille’s interest in Aymeric Laporte is not new. The French team will compete in the Champions League again next season, and the tandem formed by Pablo Longoria and Mehdi Benatia seeks renowned reinforcements for the occasion. They want to take a leap in sports and the priority objective to shore up the defense is the youth squad of Athletic Club de Bilbao.
Negotiations between Al-Nassr and OM have begun and are progressing stealthily on the calendar. According to journalist Sébastien Nonda, his signing price would range between 15/20 million euros. It is the amount that the Saudi team would demand to let him go. Another aspect to highlight is the predisposition of the player to reach France, a league that would be new in his resume but not in his blood. Remember that he is French by birth. Laporte is convinced by the Marseille project and sees that there are players of the stature of Rabiot or Mason Greenwood.
However, there will be competition to close his signing. He has a poster in LaLiga and Athletic Club de Bilbao will try to bring him back to San Mamés. Some time ago he sounded for Real Madrid but the plans of the “Blancos” (Whites) to restructure their defense go in other directions. In the Premier League up to three teams also probe his reinforcement, however, the lead is taken by Olympique de Marseille. Laporte’s return to Europe is getting closer and closer.
