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Louis SealeyPublished Oct 1, 2024, 7:58am|Updated Oct 1, 2024, 7:59am
Barcelona have set their sights on ex-Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood and are preparing a £60m bid as they look to bring him to the Nou Camp.
Greenwood has been in superb form for Marseille, who he joined over the summer for around £26m, scoring five goals in his first six appearances for the French club.
The 23-year-old spent last season on loan at La Liga side Getafe and had not played for his boyhood club Manchester United since January 2022.
Greenwood was one of the brightest prospects at Old Trafford – making over 100 first-team appearances by the times he turned 20 – but was released after a six-month internal investigation into his conduct.
Serious charges against Greenwood, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February 2023.
The England international’s form for Marseille has not gone unnoticed, with Barcelona now identifying the forward as one of their top targets ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to The Sun, Barca are ready to make a substantial bid for Greenwood, having sent scouts to at least four of his games so far this season.
Barcelona were also believed to be tracking Greenwood last term when he was at fellow La Liga outfit Getafe and were impressed by what they saw.
But Barca, currently three points clear at the top of the Spanish top-flight, face serious competition for Greenwood, who has also attracted interest from French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG may have an early edge over Barcelona as Greenwood is known to be enjoying life in France and has settled in the country following his move from Manchester.
Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid have also been linked with moves for the Englishman recently but Barcelona’s interest is thought to be more substantial at this stage.
Marseille, currently third in Ligue 1, were criticised by their own mayor when they decided to sign Greenwood from Manchester United.
But the club’s president has insisted he has no regrets over the move, which brought Greenwood together with Marseille boss Roberto de Zerbi, formerly of Brighton.
‘The comments of the mayor reinforce what we did, [they did] not have all the information,’ Marseille chief Pablo Longoria said.
‘We took the decision internally. OK, there was some opposition, that was objective, but at the same time that gave us power to maybe not investigate, because I am not a judge, but to use all the information to take the best decision, which I think we did.
‘In our very first conversation with the coach [Roberto de Zerbi] we mentioned Mason’s name.
‘The coach knew Mason from the past and it was a very quick conversation at the start between all of us because we believe in the talent of Mason.
‘There were a lot of conversations between all of us in the weeks leading up to his move. He is behaving fantastically with us and we are very happy to have him playing in our team.’
Greenwood’s former club Manchester United have endured a miserable start to the new season, sparking intense speculation over the future of under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.
United have taken just seven points from their opening six games and Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Tottenham left them 13th in the Premier League table.
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