Marseille have announced the signing of Olivier Ntcham from Celtic, initially on loan.
Celtic were keen to allow the midfielder to move out and are expected to have a clause in the deal that makes the move permanent if certain criteria are matched.
Ntcham was a regular in the French u-21 side but has never played club football in his native country, joining Manchester City from school before moving on loan to Genoa and joining Celtic in July 2017.
The powerful midfielder went straight into The Invincibles side but after an impressive first season his form dipped badly despite signing a new contract in November 2018.
Trading the ? for the??@OlivierNtcham est Olympien. Our newest midfielder joins from @CelticFC.
Welcome to Marseille, Olivier! pic.twitter.com/x9TVQQAvbq
— Olympique de Marseille ?? ?? (@OM_English) February 1, 2021
Celtic seemed to be nurturing hopes of matching the £20m fee that they got from Lyon for Moussa Dembele but Ntcham’s form came in short bursts with the highlight possibly coming in Rome last season when he scored a stoppage time winner against Lazio.
With David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro now in the first team Celtic are well covered for midfielders despite the exit of Ntcham.