Marseille’s bid to sign Mason Greenwood from Manchester United has sparked a huge backlash in the French city.
According to various reports, the French side have had an offer worth around £27million accepted for the 22-year-old.
Greenwood has not played for United since being suspended on January 30, 2022, over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.
The young striker faced charges including attempted rape and assault but the Crown Prosecution Service announced in February last year that the case had been discontinued and the charges dropped. Months later in August, United announced, after an internal investigation, that it had been "mutually agreed" Greenwood should continue his career away from Old Trafford.
Greenwood subsequently went on loan to Getafe, playing 33 times and scoring eight goals, and now looks set to leave United permanently for Marseille, in a deal with mayor Benoit Payan says will bring "shame" to the city.
He told French radio station RMC: "Greenwood’s behaviour is unspeakable, unacceptable. Hitting his wife… I saw images that deeply shocked me. Massacring his wife in this way is unbecoming of a man and he cannot have his place on this team.
He added: "The values of OM and Marseille are anything but that in fact. It’s a shame. I will ask [club president] Pablo Longoria not to recruit Greenwood. I don’t want my club to be covered with the shame of someone who hits his wife."
A section of Marseille fans agree with Payan and have launched a #GreenwoodNotWelcome campaign. A statement on OM Forum said: "At a time when negotiations for the arrival of Mason Greenwood are announced as becoming increasingly heated, it seems necessary to explain, once again and before the damage becomes irreversible, why this transfer seems inconceivable in view of the values displayed by the club and why it would mean for many of us a red line that would irreparably damage the passion that we have for this club."
One fan wrote to the club's sporting director Medhi Benatia on X, posting: "What makes us love this club is above all its values. Don't betray them."
Manager Roberto De Zerbi soon after looked to downplay for controversy, suggesting he was unaware of Greenwood's past. He told a press conference: "He hasn’t signed, there’s not much to say. He’s a world-class player.
"I don’t know his background. No matter the player, once they sign here, they become like my children. I protect them through thick and thin. Maybe, in private I’ll pull their ears, but in public, I’ll defend them like my sons."
