Updated: 3 Jun 2026 10:18 BST |
5 min read
Manchester United are in line for a huge transfer windfall as Mason Greenwood is close to leaving Marseille in a €50 million deal.
The Ligue 1 side snapped up the once-capped England attacker from the Red Devils in the summer of 2024, when he departed Old Trafford under a cloud after charges of attempted rape and assault, which he denied, were dropped in February 2023.
United sold him to Marseille in a €26 million deal but crucially kept a sell-on clause worth between 40-50% of any future deal.
Mason Greenwood to Roma: The latest
Roma are pushing hard to sign Greenwood this summer, Italian transfer insider Gianluca Di Marzio reports.
The former Man Utd star is the Rossoneri’s ‘first choice’ in attack this summer, and while no contact with Marseille has yet taken place, this is seen as a matter of time.
OM have set an initial asking price of over €50 million for the forward, who has scored 26 goals and generated 11 assists in Ligue 1 this season. The French side’s starting position looks accurate given that Greenwood has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €49.9m.
Marseille’s negotiating position is weak, however. The club is deep in debt and they have been threatened with a European ban by UEFA if they fail to sufficiently clear this. Given they are in line for the Champions League next season, this would be a catastrophic blow.
How much will Man Utd make from the deal?
Exactly how much of any transfer fee Greenwood fetches that heads to Man Utd is unclear.
While United are confirmed to have a sell-on clause, sources disagree as to whether this is 40% or 50%.
There is not even any common consensus as to whether United’s cut will be of the whole fee or simply the profit that Marseille make from the deal.
In the best-case scenario of a €50m deal, the Red Devils could expect to make €25m. At the other end of the scale, this figure might be only €9.6m – still a useful sum but nevertheless a considerably smaller windfall.
Greenwood’s sad end in Marseille
Greenwood’s exit from Marseille, meanwhile, is set to be acrimonious.
His attitude in the latter part of the season has been criticised by both the media and fans, with his body language often poor. He has even been dropped at times by head coach Habib Beye, while he was notably handed a 0/10 rating by local paper La Provence after a heavy loss to relegated Nantes that put Marseille’s Champions League hopes in jeopardy.
In a stunning dissection of the player’s performance, La Provence wrote:
“We now understand better why the enfant terrible of English football had a little spell on the bench last Sunday. If players are often accused of lacking effort, the attitude of Greenwood displayed this perfectly.
“Scandalous from start to finish, he thought it was okay to walk after his countless ball losses, complain when his teammates didn’t pass to him, or act like he was in a circus by attempting unnecessary gestures for his own personal amusement, while his club’s financial future is at stake. In other circumstances, he might have deserved half a point for at least managing to tie his boots.”
Greenwood may have ended the season as Marseille’s top scorer, but few will complain should the controversial Englishman leave for Roma in a €50m deal.
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