Marseille set to sign Geoffrey Kondogbia from Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

Olympique Marseille and Atletico Madrid have reached an €8 million agreement for Geoffrey Kondogbia to return to Ligue 1 for the first time since leaving Monaco in 2015.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Les Olympiens have scheduled medicals for the 30-year-old midfielder, who will become the club’s first signing under new manager Marcelino Garcia Toral.

Kondogbia will pen a contract at the Stade Velodrome until 2027, adding to a growing midfield talent at Marseille, who secured a third-place finish in Ligue 1 last season.

Ruslan Malinovskyi and Azzedine Ounahi moved to southern France last January, joining a star-studded midfield cast that previously featured the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, Jordan Veretout and Dimitry Payet.

The French heavyweights will have to navigate the Champions League qualification play-offs to reach next season’s group stages after falling 11 points short of runners-up Lens last term.

New boss Marcelino, who replaced Igor Tudor at the end of the 2022/23 season, is looking to put his stamp on the Marseille squad following his decent season-long stint at Athletic Bilbao.

Kondgobia could prove a massive hit for Les Olympiens, given his vast experience in Europe’s top-five leagues, having played for Sevilla, Monaco, Inter Milan and Valencia before moving to Atletico in 2020.

Though he wasn’t a regular starter under Diego Simeone last season, he amassed 20 La Liga appearances for Los Colchoneros, helping the club qualify for the Champions League for the 11th season running.

But with a year remaining on his contract, Atletico decided to sell the Frenchman to accommodate the long-awaited arrival of Fiorentina talisman Sofyan Amrabat.

After an outstanding World Cup exploits with Morocco, the 26-year-old has become one of the most in-demand midfielders, with Simeone’s side already in advanced talks with La Viola over his transfer to Madrid.

With Kondogbia gone and Saul Niguez expected to follow the same path in the coming weeks, it’s only a matter of time before Amrabat joins Simeone’s troops.