Marseille Launch Ambitious Bid for Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko

Olympique Marseille have made a bold move to sign Arsenal’s versatile defender Oleksandr Zinchenko,

According to David Ornstein, Marseille are pushing for a permanent deal for the 28-year-old Ukrainian international, who has entered the final year of his contract with Arsenal.

However, Zinchenko’s £150,000-per-week salary poses a significant hurdle, with Marseille exploring creative financial solutions, including a longer-term contract, performance-based bonuses, or Arsenal subsidizing part of his wages for the first year.

Zinchenko, who joined Arsenal from Manchester City in 2022 for £32 million, has seen his role diminish under Mikel Arteta, making just 11 appearances this season, including three starts. With Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Jurrien Timber, and the incoming Piero Hincapie ahead of him in the pecking order, Zinchenko is reportedly open to a new challenge. His versatility as a left-back and central midfielder, coupled with four Premier League titles from his time at Manchester City, makes him an attractive fit for De Zerbi’s system, which values technical quality and leadership.

Marseille’s interest comes as they aim to reinforce their defense following the departure of Quentin Merlin to Stade Rennais. The club, set to compete in the Champions League, has already signed former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer and is in advanced talks for Lille’s Edon Zhegrova and Bournemouth’s Hamed Junior Traoré, signaling an ambitious transfer window led by president Pablo Longoria and director of football Medhi Benatia.

Despite earlier links to Porto, Fenerbahce, Fulham, and Real Betis, Marseille have emerged as frontrunners, with Arsenal open to a transfer fee of £10-15 million to comply with UEFA’s squad cost ratio rules after heavy summer spending on players like Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze. The Gunners are also finalizing Jakub Kiwior’s move to Porto, which could facilitate Zinchenko’s exit as part of a broader squad overhaul.

However, challenges remain. Zinchenko’s high wages and his ongoing commitments with Ukraine’s international team complicate negotiations, and Arsenal’s reluctance to accept a loan deal, having rejected such proposals from Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in January, means a permanent transfer is the only viable option.

Marseille remain optimistic, with talks expected to intensify over the next 48 hours as they seek to secure a marquee signing to bolster their Ligue 1 and European ambitions.