Mason Greenwood was floored during a heated altercation just 13 minutes into Marseille’s Ligue 1 face-off with Lille on Sunday. The ex-Manchester United ace collected the ball in his own half but was taken down by Calvin Verdonk, resulting in a yellow card.
Greenwood did not take kindly to the foul and promptly rose to challenge Lille’s left-back, only to be body checked to the ground by Hakon Haraldsson, who hurried to the scene, triggering a widespread scuffle among more players. Both Haraldsson and Greenwood received bookings for their roles in the melee. The 24-year-old remained on the pitch for only a few more minutes before being substituted due to an injury, with Arsenal‘s Ethan Nwaneri taking his place.
He went on to break the deadlock for Marseille with a close-range finish just before the interval. However, two second-half goals from Thomas Meunier and late substitute Olivier Giroud saw Lille leave Stade Velodrome with all three points.
Despite the loss to their Champions League qualification competitors, it has been a commendable season for Marseille so far as they currently sit third in the table. Greenwood has proved crucial to their impressive run, having notched 25 goals across all competitions alongside eight assists during that spell.
While he hasn’t featured for United in more than four years, curiosity persists regarding his performances and whether potential buyers are monitoring his progress. This stems from United securing a sell-on clause when he finalised a £26.6 million switch to Marseille in 2024, granting them entitlement to as much as 50 per cent of any profits generated from a prospective sale.
Italian giants Juventus reportedly harbour interest in acquiring Greenwood this summer, with £60m suggested as the likely fee needed to secure his signature. United could consequently pocket a maximum of £30m from such a transaction, with slightly under half representing pure profit when accounted for in the club’s finances, although Marseille are expected to push for more considering the stipulations governing his future.
Former club Getafe, where he had a successful loan, will similarly be monitoring Greenwood’s situation, as the Spanish outfit reportedly negotiated approximately 20 per cent of United’s possible earnings. Marseille qualifying for Champions League football next campaign may influence Greenwood’s plans, with the additional revenue potentially encouraging him to remain.
Now under the stewardship of Habib Beye following Roberto De Zerbi’s exit, Marseille currently hold the final automatic Champions League qualification position. They stand one point clear of fourth-placed Lyon and now merely two ahead of Lille.