Marseille closing in on Atletico Madrid defender Renan Lodi | OneFootball

Olympique Marseille are one step away from finalising the signing of Atletico Madrid defender Renan Lodi, claims L’Equipe.

The French club have reached an agreement with their Spanish counterparts to sign the Brazilian defender in a €13 million deal.

Lodi spent the last season on loan at Nottingham Forest, helping the Premier League newcomers retain their top-flight status.

Forest manager Steve Cooper is a fan of the left-back, but the 25-year-old turned wants to play for a club that can offer Champions League football.

Having fallen out with Diego Simeone back at the Civitas Metropolitano, returning to Atletico to reclaim a first-team berth was out of the question.

Portuguese champions Benfica were reportedly interested in luring the full-back to the Primeira Liga, but a move never materialised.

Marseille have now taken advantage of the limited interest in the Brazil international defender to put themselves in pole position to secure his services.

After losing Sead Kolasinac and Nuno Tavares this summer, Marseille have identified left back as a position that requires immediate attention, and Lodi could be their first acquisition of the transfer window.

Igor Tudor’s side were considered contenders for the Ligue 1 title last season, with their early form putting them in a three-way battle with RC Lens and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Les Olympiens faltered in the second half of the season and finished in third place.

They will feature in the Champions League qualification round, but Lodi could still get his wish of playing in Europe’s most prestigious tournament.

Atletico have already secured a replacement for the former Forest loanee after snapping up Javi Galan, who was a standout performer for Celta Vigo last season.