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Man Utd miss out on Greenwood jackpot: Director explains why
16 Jul 2026 11:55 BST |
5 min read
News
Manchester United made more than €12 million as Mason Greenwood completed a move from Marseille to Fenerbahce, but the Red Devils might have hoped for more from a man who was once considered to be one of the biggest talents in world football.
Greenwood once had an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €76.7m, but charges of attempted rape and assault, which he denied and were dropped in February 2023, saw him frozen out at Old Trafford and ultimately forced out of the club.
Given this background, Marseille signed him for cut-price figure of €26m, though Man Utd retained a healthy stake in any future profit claimed by the French club.
Current ETV
Mason Greenwood
F, M (R), AM (L)
Marseille
Mason Greenwood
F, M (R), AM (L)
Marseille
ETV Range
€44.9M - €54.9M
When that deal was made, United were doubtless hoping that the 24-year-old might hit his former heights, but instead he somewhat stagnated in France.
Towards the end of his career in Marseille, there were a series of controversies that led to Greenwood’s investment in the team being questioned and ultimately prompted him to force a move to Fenerbahce for around €40m.
Man Utd will receive around €12m of this figure - but they might have hoped for more.
‘The market valued Greenwood below €80-100m’
Marseille sporting director Gregory Lorenzi has been forced to explain why the club failed to get a higher price for the player – and why United therefore missed out on a far higher sell-on fee.
“We're bound by economic constraints. Clubs didn't come knocking on our door to buy Mason Greenwood. The market valued the player below €80 or 100 million,” he said in quotes relayed by L'Equipe before offering a further defence.
“Given what was planned for this deal, the club is meeting its expectations. The player was popular with the fans. But we didn't want to keep a player who didn't want to continue wearing the OM jersey.
“We know the complexity of the Greenwood case, what the image of the player is. We can’t think there would be too many opportunities to sell him. There were discussions that had been initiated to try to find a compromise with the player who wanted to leave, because we also need to make that clear.”
Greenwood’s ‘scandalous’ end in Marseille
Greenwood’s exit from Marseille has indeed been acrimonious, which is another factor that has driven down his price.
His attitude in the latter part of the season was criticised by both the media and fans, with his body language often poor. He has even been dropped at times by former 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.”
Fenerbahce win race for Greenwood
Former Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi had been linked with a move to take Greenwood back to the Premier League with Tottenham, but while these were simply rumours, there was a groundswell of protest among Spurs fans to prevent this from happening.
Interest also came from La Liga side Atletico Madrid, but it was finally Fenerbahce who secured the player’s signature.
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