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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
For several months, the name of Ilan Kebbal has been associated with Olympique de Marseille in the columns of sports media. The attacking midfielder of Paris FC, author of a remarkable season in Ligue 2 with seven goals and eleven assists, seemed to tick several boxes of the Marseille recruitment: excellent value for money in a market where fees are soaring, intimate knowledge of French football after more than one hundred and twenty professional matches, and above all a sincere and documented attachment to the Phocaean city. However, the latest information from the Bouches-du-Rhône paints a very different scenario from what the Olympian supporters imagined.
La Minute OM closes the door
"We are not on Ilan Kebbal," the Olympian follower ruled in a publication that dampened the hopes of the most optimistic.
According to the X account La Minute OM, followed by tens of thousands of subscribers and known for the reliability of its information on the club's behind-the-scenes, the Marseille management is simply not working on this track. "We are not on Ilan Kebbal," the Olympian follower ruled in a publication that dampened the hopes of the most optimistic. A rejection that has since been taken up by several specialized media, including But! Football Club and Le10Sport, which confirm what many feared: the case never went beyond the stage of a summer rumor. The twenty-seven-year-old attacking midfielder, under contract with the capital club, would not appear at any time in the priorities of the Phocaean recruitment unit, led by the tandem Pablo Longoria — Medhi Benatia. In a financial context constrained by the rules of financial fair play closely monitored by UEFA, OM must first trim a bloated squad where several high salaries weigh on the accounts, before considering any major arrival.
A Marseille dream on hold
For Ilan Kebbal, this reversal necessarily has a special flavor. Born in Marseille, the player has never hidden his dream of one day wearing the white and blue jersey of the Stade Vélodrome. Last spring, in an interview given to the media Carré, he expressed with unfeigned emotion his desire to join the club of his heart, going so far as to qualify OM as "the best club in the world" when one has grown up in the northern districts of the city. Statements that immediately touched the supporters and fueled a wave of speculation on social networks. But professional football does not always unfold as one would like, and a childhood dream, however powerful, is not enough to trigger a transfer when the financial and sporting planets refuse to align. Other priorities have emerged on the Marseille side: a striker and a defensive midfielder are at the top of the shopping list.
Kebbal, key piece of Rosenior's project at PFC
On the Paris FC side, the arrival of Liam Rosenior on the bench has significantly changed the situation. The former Strasbourg coach, who faced Kebbal twice last season in Ligue 1, particularly appreciates the player's profile: explosive, capable of eliminating in one-on-one situations and endowed with a crossing quality that has wreaked havoc on Ligue 2 defenses. According to several sources close to the capital club, Rosenior would have informed his management that he firmly counted on Kebbal to embody the project of immediate promotion to Ligue 1. The British technician sees in him a differentiating element, capable of turning a match on an individual inspiration. For now, the story between Ilan Kebbal and OM is not definitively closed: the transfer window often reserves last-minute surprises, depending on unexpected sales and opportunities. If Marseille were to finalize certain departures in the coming weeks and the Parisian's price remained within reasonable proportions, around five to seven million euros, Kebbal's profile could become relevant again. Villarreal, third in La Liga last season, also remains on the lookout, which could accelerate a possible Marseille decision. But for now, the native of the Phocaean city will have to wait, and continue to shine under the colors of PFC. The summer saga is not over, and each upcoming twist will weigh a little more in the balance of a transfer that no one, in Marseille as in Paris, dares yet to completely exclude.
