Roma never made Greenwood offer, confirm Olympique Marseille | OneFootball

Roma were locked in talks for weeks to sign Mason Greenwood, but Olympique Marseille director Gregory Lorenzi reveals ‘only Fenerbahce made a formal offer’ and his ‘image’ was a problem.

The Giallorossi had targeted the Englishman for the whole summer, with reports of a proposal worth over €42m plus add-ons coming to Marseille.

They could not compete with the salary on offer in Turkiye, where there are significantly different tax regulations allowing for a higher wage of a reported €10m per season, and he ultimately chose Fenerbahce.

Amid rumours of a bidding war with Atletico Madrid and teams from the Saudi Pro League, it is therefore surprising to learn that Roma never went all in.

Greenwood never received Roma bid

MADRID, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 16: Mason Greenwood of Olymquique de Marseille gestures during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Real Madrid C.F. and Olympique de Marseille at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on September 16, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“You all know the complexity of the Greenwood situation, given the player’s image,” confessed new Marseille director of sport Lorenzi in a press conference today.

He was referring to the domestic violence allegations that saw him pushed out of Manchester United, and the reason why Roma fans started a petition urging the club not to buy him.

Considering his splendid record in France, and the fact 40 per cent of the profit was owed to Manchester United, Marseille fans wonder why Greenwood only cost €39m plus bonuses.

“When we talk about the transfer fee, we shouldn’t assume that there were that many opportunities for Mason. Discussions had already taken place, the player was determined to leave as soon as possible, I want to make that clear.

“Clubs didn’t approach us, so the idea of selling for €80-100m… The market decided the player wasn’t worth that much. We thought there would be several clubs interested, which unfortunately wasn’t the case,” added Lorenzi.

Mason Greenwood joins Fenerbahce

“So we felt the best solution for all concerned was Fenerbahce, in the circumstances.”