Marseille blame Lens for Pau Lopez loan collapse | OneFootball

In a club statement released on Thursday, Olympique de Marseille have made clear their stance on the recent failed loan move of Pau Lopez (30) to Lens. The Spaniard had travelled to the north of France to undergo a medical, sign his contract, and then was announced as a Sang & Or player earlier this week. For a reminder, Lopez needed authorisation from his current loan club, Girona, in order to facilitate a move to Will Still’s side.

“On Tuesday January 7, OM sent Girona FC the draft agreement for the early termination of the temporary transfer. Pau Lopez has successfully completed his medical and signed his employment contract with RC Lens, as well as the new loan agreement between RC Lens and OM. OM, which is strongly committed to respecting contractual commitments and sporting regulations, has never countersigned the loan agreement with RC Lens, pending the signed return of Girona FC,” said the communiqué on OM’s website. “Despite the absence of a definitive commitment from all parties, the communication departments of RC Lens and OM decided, in view of their regular collaboration, to announce the arrival of the Spanish goalkeeper at RC Lens, welcoming the new challenge offered to Pau Lopez in our Ligue 1 Championship. This premature communication, initiated by RC Lens, was made without any legal validation and was therefore quickly deleted by OM. When contacted by OM on the evening of Tuesday 7th January, Girona FC indicated that it would return the agreement for early termination of the loan the same evening or the following morning”, the statement added.“Finally, mid-day on Wednesday January 8, Girona FC informed OM that they would have to wait until January 22 for the operation to materialize after their UCL match against AC Milan. Girona FC justified this position by an injury sustained by their third goalkeeper on their UEFA B list, Lucas Garcia, on Tuesday January 7 during training.”

“When approached by OM for further explanations, Pau Lopez’s agent never responded. In any case, while the general agreement remained valid but was only delayed by a few days, RC Lens freely decided to put an end to this operation. Olympique de Marseille regrets this unprecedented situation and the impossibility for Pau Lopez to take part in the second half of the 2024-2025 Ligue 1 Championship in a Lens shirt,” concluded the the statement.Yesterday, Lens posted a communiqué indicating “While a total agreement had been reached between Racing Club de Lens, Olympique de Marseille and Pau López, the arrival of the Spanish international was canceled. Girona FC informed Olympique de Marseille today of its firm desire to keep the player until January 29, an unacceptable condition for Racing, which thus renounce this signing.”

GFFN | George Boxall