Former Paris Saint-Germain winger Jerome Rothen believes that West Ham United target Mamadou Sakho has taken too strong an approach against Marseille for a move to the Stade Velodrome to be realistic.
Sakho is firmly out of favour at Liverpool and has been linked with leaving the Merseyside giants in the winter transfer window, which opens in a matter of weeks.
He has been linked with Marseille, but as Sakho is a boyhood PSG fan and came through the club's youth ranks, Rothen thinks joining the capital club's fierce rivals may be a step too far.
The 38-year-old, who had a brief loan spell at Rangers in 2009, also thinks given the level of salary Sakho has at Liverpool, he will be difficult for French clubs to afford.
"He could have a spot at several clubs in Ligue 1, but at the level of salary he has it will be complicated", Rothen said on French radio station RMC.
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"Why might Marseille fans not want Mamadou Sakho? It's because he has said some very hard anti-Marseille words – he's a real Parisian.
"We're kind of the same about it, but I've never had such strong words [for Marseille].
"It was really strong anyway, so frankly I do not see him at all pulling on a Marseille shirt", Rothen, who spent six years at the Parc des Princes, added.
Sakho has been restricted to turning out for Liverpool's Under-23 side this season, but his stock still remains high amongst a number of clubs.
Indeed, the centre-back has also been linked with West Ham, West Brom and Leicester in the Premier League, along with a clutch of French sides.
