Olympique Marseille is poised to finalize the transfer of Azzedine Ounahi, the 25-year-old Moroccan midfielder whom the club has sought to offload for several months. Ounahi is expected to join Spanish club Girona on a permanent deal.
Last season, Ounahi had a successful loan spell at Greek side Panathinaikos, where he revitalized his career, appearing in 37 matches and being voted the fans` player of the season. Prior to this, he had struggled at Marseille following his breakout performance for the Moroccan national team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Despite his strong performance on loan, Panathinaikos was unable to activate the €11.5 million purchase option included in the deal. Consequently, Ounahi was set to return to Marseille, where he was not part of head coach Roberto De Zerbi`s plans.
The former SCO Angers midfielder had already been training separately from the first team in anticipation of his departure. He will now join Girona in a deal worth just over €6 million. While this figure is significantly below Marseille`s initial €12 million valuation, Olympique has included a substantial sell-on percentage in the agreement to offset the difference. Ounahi himself had expressed a strong desire to move to La Liga, making it a priority.
