Arriving at Sassuolo in the summer of 2022 after a great season in the orange jersey of FC Lorient, the French striker, Armand Laurienté, had two solid seasons in Italy, rather fruitful on an individual level with 12 goals scored and 12 assists delivered in 65 Serie A matches played. Unfortunately, the Emilia-Romagna club was unable to avoid relegation last season and the Sassuolo management therefore finds itself with an incalculable number of talented players with a good market value wanting to embark on a new sporting project. And this is the case of Armand Laurienté, under contract with the Neroverdi until June 30, 2027, who receives a lot of phone calls during this relatively quiet summer transfer window. Several clubs have come to inquire, including Olympique de Marseille, information publicly disclosed by the club’s management, which we are able to confirm to you today.
Sassuolo president Giovanni Carnevali dropped a small bombshell in front of the cameras of Sky Sport Italy Tuesday evening : “It depends on the clubs that ask for him. He has requests abroad, from Marseille to Mourinho’s Fenerbahce. He is an important player for us, we also have to evaluate the different transfer formulas. For us, he is worth around 15 to 20 million euros, but for his value, I would prefer to give up this economic aspect to keep him. So obviously, if a player does not have the right state of mind, then we consider the transfer, provided there is the right offer, otherwise we keep everyone“, he summed up as his club goes through a period of reconstruction with Fabio Grosso, newly appointed on the Neroverdi bench. But in the transfer window, you always have to take the public statements of the leaders with a pinch of salt.
OM is watching from afar, the competition is tough
According to our information, Olympique de Marseille has indeed come to inquire about Armand Laurienté in recent weeks. There have been preliminary contacts with Sassuolo and the player’s entourage. But the negotiations are far from being advanced and the Phocéens appear to be simple suitors among many others. Indeed, according to our indiscretions, the native of Gonesse attracts covetousness. Several Serie A clubs including Lazio are eyeing him, while Premier League teams have also come knocking on his door during this summer transfer window: “Frankly, I like it here, I have nothing to say about my life in Italy. I have my family and my loved ones who are there a lot, who are present on a daily basis. Everything is going well, my loved ones have made sure that I don’t feel any differences with France“, the former Lorient striker told us in an exclusive interview on French Football WeeklyIt is therefore difficult to speak of a real concrete path for the Bouches-du-Rhône club, nor even of substantial discussions or regular negotiations.
Armand Laurienté is currently being lured abroad by many sirens. OM is therefore not very advanced on the file. His profile has nevertheless been retained on the Marseille short-list and he remains in the race today, especially since Marseille is still looking to strengthen its offensive lines, at a time when the Marseille management continues to work on the files leading to Valentín Carboni and Eddie Nketiah. Concerning Laurienté, José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe is also in the running, as the president of Sassuolo has stated. According to our information, the 25-year-old French striker is still enjoying being abroad and would like to be tempted by a new experience far from France and Ligue 1: “In Italy, you really feel that it is a country passionate about football, you see it every day. Every trip we make, there are always supporters, even at home they are always there. You really see it every day that it is a country that loves football“, analyzed Armand Laurienté to our microphone in March 2023. To be continued.
