French giants Marseille have lodged a €15m bid for Brazilian striker Leandro Damiao, according to Brazilian daily Lance!.
Damiao, who has been regularly linked with a move to Europe with Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli amongst his suitors in recent years, has so far continued to play his football in Brazil.
The striker currently turns out for Cruzeiro, on loan from Santos, and his parent club are willing to accept the bid, but are involved in a messy legal wrangle with the player which makes any move less than straightforward.
Marseille are managed by former Real Madrid midfielder Michel and have been on the lookout for new players to add to the ranks before the transfer window closes in France tonight.
Santos president Modesto Roma Junior says that his club are ready to sell, if the decision rests with themselves.
He was quoted as saying by Lance!: "With Santos, it's no problem. If it depends on Santos, we will sell, but we must solve this [situation]. We won't create problems."
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The situation is complicated as Damiao recently took Santos to court for alleged non-payment of wages and won the right to terminate his contract, but an appeal has been lodged by the club against the court decision.
Damiao was signed by Santos with money borrowed from Doyen Sports, which needs to be repaid in five years with 10 per cent annual interest.
If the sale goes ahead, Santos will be earning a 20 per cent profit.
