FC Barcelona: the missed transfer of Azzedine Ounahi

On Friday, the Barça management studied the possibility of recruiting Azzedine Ounahi, learns Footmercato. The Moroccan midfielder had aroused the interest of the Catalan club after his participation in the World Cup in Qatar with Morocco. But in financial difficulty, Barça could not afford the Casablanca native who finally joined Olympique de Marseille (OM).

With the departures of Franck Kessié and Pablo Torre, as well as the transfer of Nico González to Porto, Barça has fewer alternatives in midfield this 2023/24 season. Frenkie de Jong and Oriol Romeu find themselves without a replacement and Ounahi could have supplemented the Dutchman or the Spaniard in case of unavailability. But a few hours before the closing of the transfer window, Barça no longer had any room for maneuver to negotiate his loan with Marseille.

Ounahi’s contract with OM runs until June 2027. The midfielder has had a good start to the season, with a goal in his first three appearances. Unfortunately, he was injured in the right foot at the end of March, during an international friendly match, which prevented him from continuing the season. Since his arrival in Marseille in January, he will have only played 154 minutes.