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Marseille chief opens up on controversial Mason Greenwood deal with Man Utd
Tom Weber
- 16 Oct 2025 06:34 BST
- 4 min read
News
Marseille president Pablo Longoria claims that his controversial signing of disgraced former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood was a market opportunity too good to pass up.
The 24-year-old was charged with attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behaviour in late 2022, but these charges were dropped in February 2023 when key witness withdrew from the case.
Given that alleged evidence of Greenwood abusing his partner had been publicly visible on social media, the dropping of charges caused a stir, and the general outrage compelled Man Utd to abandon their plans to reintegrate him into the first team.
Current ETV
Mason Greenwood
F, M (R)
Marseille
Mason Greenwood
F, M (R)
Marseille
ETV Range
€38.9M - €47.5M
He was sent out on loan to Getafe in 2023 and then sold to Marseille in a deal worth up to €31.6 million in 2024. Man Utd retain a 50 per cent sell-on clause on the forward, so it is in their interest for him to resurrect his career and secure a big-money transfer in the future.
In his first season at Marseille, Greenwood finished as joint top scorer of Ligue 1 with Ousmane Dembele, having netted 21 goals. He has so far found the back of the net three times this term.
Longoria explains Greenwood deal
When reports emerged that Marseille were closing in on the signing of the one-time England international, supporters protested against his arrival. Even the mayor of Marseille expressed his opposition to the deal, saying that his transfer would 'cover the club in shame.'
However, OM president Pablo Longoria pressed ahead and brought the attacker in. Speaking to Business of Sport, the Spaniard has now explained why he completed this controversial signing.
“At that moment, you have to think about the decision and what are the values of your club," he began. "We took a lot of information from all the clubs he played at and about what was the situation, and what had happened.
“At that time, you are taking advantage of a situation in the market, because you know he is super talented and you are having this possibility from a circumstance that happened in the past. There was only one person who disagreed at the table.
“Sincerely, for me it was very easy when you are convinced in all the communication strategies. You know you need a communications strategy, so let’s tell the truth.
"Let’s say why we take this decision, but with transparency, explaining all the processes, explaining why we arrived to take this decision. After that, time will judge."
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