Tuesday, 25th February, 2014
Mathieu Valbuena has not given up hope on a move away from Marseille this summer, with his heart seemingly set on Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal and Napoli are known to be strong suitors, with Schalke and Zenit St. Petersburg also in the race.
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Marseille would like nothing better than to hold on to Valbuena, but after nearly eight years at the club, the midfielder is ready to move on, and interim coach Jose Anigo has conceded he could well leave.
The Frenchman, who joined Marseille from Libourne-Saint-Seurin in 2006, has revealed Atletico Madrid had come closest to snapping him in the previous window.
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"Yes there were tracks, and clubs were having me followed", he was quoted by Eurosport as saying.
"And it is true that these are great clubs. But Atletico is a club that I like because it is a Spanish club, where my roots lie.
"There were other tracks too but this one was really interesting. They weren't, however, able to compete.
"Nothing is yet set. I still can't say anything. We'll talk about [this thing] in a timely manner."
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