Marseille want to sell Kevin Strootman, Luis Henrique and Pol Lirola to Serie A | OneFootball

As reported by L’Équipe, Marseille are hoping to sell a group of unwanted squad players to Italy this summer. The list of undesirables includes Dutch international midfielder Kevin Strootman, young Brazilian winger Luis Henrique and full-back Pol Lirola.

Strootman recently returned to the French club after a second season on loan in Serie A but his large salary is a problem for Marseille given the player has been deemed surplus to requirements by coach Jorge Sampaoli. OM president Pablo Longoria and new director of football Javier Ribalta travelled to Italy last week to meet with prospective buyers, including Hellas Verona. However, OM will need to cover a large part of the player’s wage if they were to loan him out once more.

The 20-year-old Henrique has yet to make an impact since his arrival in 2020 and, despite his contract running to 2025, contact has been made with Torino over a move for the player but, say the sports daily, OM will find it tricky to convince them to take on a player who’s shown so little promise. Having been left out of Marseille’s Europa League squad this year, a loan was planned in January.

Right-back Pol Lirola has also struggled to find a place in the side given the lack of full-backs in Sampaoli’s system after a €12m move from Fiorentina last summer following a much more successful loan period at OM beforehand. The defender wants more game time with Marseille now open to a move for the player and the club have already started to look for a buyer in the Italian market.