Greenwood's Man Utd exit: Marseille talks 'ON HOLD' amid public uproar

Tom Weber

• 10 Jul 2024 17:00 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United's talks with Marseille over the transfer of Mason Greenwood are currently 'on hold,' according to a report.

The disgraced Red Devils forward appeared to be on the verge of joining the French giants after they had launched a formal offer that was subsequently accepted by Man Utd.

The Ligue 1 club would have been set to pay €27.6 million for the 22-year-old, plus a further €4m in potential add-ons. Greenwood's green light was the only thing missing for the deal to be completed.

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Now, however, transfer expert Gianluca di Marzio reports that talks between Marseille and Man Utd are 'on hold' after the news of the impending transfer was met with public outrage.

Greenwood deal in danger

Greenwood was arrested in 2022 and charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The charges were eventually dropped, but the 22-year-old's innocence was never proven.

This fact led to Marseille fans starting a #GreenwoodNotWelcome social media campaign after learning of their club's interest and even the Mayor of Marseille chimed in on Tuesday evening, saying that the Englishman's arrival would 'cover the club in shame.'

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FootballTransfers also understands that there is a very real possibility of the transfer collapsing in the face of such public resistance, though nothing is set in stone at this point. Di Marzio reports that Marseille continue to push for the deal, being in frequent contact with his camp in order to get the player's green light.

However, the news of the Greenwood move hitting a stumbling block have been well-received by Lazio, who already tried to land him last summer and are once again keen.

The club's president Claudio Lotito recently insisted that he had an alternative '10 times better than Greenwood' lined up, but Di Marzio reports that the Serie A side could now try for the attacker with renewed vigour.