Ntcham: Marseille set to beat Newcastle to Celtic midfielder signing

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:45 CDT
• 1 min read

Marseille have beaten Newcastle to the signing of midfielder OIivier Ntcham, according to Celtic manager Neil Lennon. 

The 24-year-old midfielder has a contract with the Scottish Premiership champions until the summer of 2022, but has reportedly been pushing for a move away from the Glasgow club for some time. 

According to RMC Sport, the Ligue 1 side have submitted an offer that would see the club move back to France on loan, with an option to make the deal permanent for around £4.5 million. 

The French talent has made just seven starting appearances in Lennon’s side this season and in a media conference on Monday afternoon the Celtic manager all but confirmed that Ntcham was set to leave the club later today for Marseille rather than Newcastle.

When asked if Ntcham would leave the club, admitted he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the 24-year-old leaves in this window.

Ntcham will be the second big-name departure from Celtic during the January transfer window, following Jeremie Frimpong’s move to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. 

The right-back, who joined the Scottish club from Manchester City in 2019, signed a permanent deal with Leverkusen mid-way through the window for a fee believed to be around €10 million.