Free agents Dries Mertens and Matias Vecino won’t be free agents for long. According to Foot Mercato, new OM coach Igor Tudor wants the pair of recently-released players from Serie A to join him on his mission in the south of France.Marseille’s express response to Sampaoli’s departure – Igor Tudor at the VelodromeLes Marseilles can’t afford to lose time with a campaign in the UEFA Champions League coming up. While most of the fans are still reeling following the unexpected departure of Jorge Sampaoli, the new coach is already working hard to secure the tools he needs to succeed. Having arrived from Italy, where he’s done great at Hellas Verona, Tudor is keen to sign the midfielder and the forward who used to ply their trade in Italy.Thursday, 01.15: (1.38) Palmeiras (4.90) Cerro Porteno (9.50)According to Italian news agency ANSA, Tudor will be forced to do business on the budget, with free transfers the focus. Dries Mertens, Belgian winger-cum-attacker, fits the bill perfectly. Even at 35, he’s got the ability to star in the French league and bag some goals. In his nine seasons at Napoli, he played 397 matches, scored 148 goals and made 90 assists for the blues, and has crucially played in the Champions League.In midfield, Uruguayan international Matias Vecino, who left Inter after seeing his contract expire, would be expected to slot in and replace Boubacar Kamara after the defensive midfielder departed for Aston Villa. The 30-year-old Uruguayan spent most of his last season at Giuseppe Meazza sitting on the bench, as he appeared just 16 times for Simone Inzaghi’s side.🔹Igor Tudor 🇭🇷 pourrait débarquer à l’#OM avec deux joueurs libres dans ses valises !🇧🇪Dries Mertens (35 ans)🇺🇾 Matias Vecino (30 ans)(@footmercato) #MercatOM #TeamOM 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/WKcY7geJBT— Infos OM (@InfosOM_) July 3, 2022 The Stade Velodrome club needs both quality and experience to come through the door in this transfer window. One of the reasons is that their long-serving goalkeeper Steve Mandanda decided to quit the club and sign a two-year deal at Stade Rennais. Reduced to a role of a veteran bench-warmer, the 37-year-old opted to leave for the Breton club and work with Bruno Genesio, the former Lyon coach, who went out of his way to get Mandanda to join him.
