Marseille to battle Serie A clubs for Brighton midfielder Matt O’Riley

Marseille have joined the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Matt O’Riley this summer (h/t L’Equipe).

The French giants are on a mission in this transfer window, having invested in a plethora of new signings to build a squad capable of competing on all fronts.

A central midfielder is one of their priorities, and manager Roberto De Zerbi has turned his attention to his former club for O’Riley.

The Danish international has also discussed the move with compatriot Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who plays for Marseille.

O’Riley could be on his way out of Brighton this summer after attracting interest from a host of Serie A clubs, including AS Roma, Juventus, Napoli and Atalanta.

Juventus have identified the former Celtic star as a potential replacement for Douglas Luiz, who is set to leave after being deemed surplus to requirements.

With targets Sandro Tonali and Morten Hjulmand considered expensive, the Bianconeri have set their focus on O’Riley, who is valued at £25 million.

Atalanta are keeping tabs on the Dane, who they tried to recruit last year before losing the race to Celtic.

Brighton are likely to stand firm on their price tag given O’Riley’s importance to the team and the length of his contract, which runs until June 2029.

With Adrien Rabiot and Hojbjerg in their ranks, O’Riley could be the final piece of the puzzle in Marseille’s midfield.

They are also monitoring AC Milan’s Ismael Bennacer, who spent the last season on loan at the Orange Velodrome.

The Ligue 1 giants have already acquired Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Igor Paixao, Facundo Medina, CJ Egan-Riley and Angel Gomes this summer.

Timothy Weah is next in line, with Marseille reaching an agreement worth €19m for the Juventus winger.