Marseille (Parliament Politics Magazine) January 10, 2026 – Olympique Marseille defender Robinio Vaz rejected the club’s latest contract extension proposal, with AS Roma advancing transfer discussions amid interest from Chelsea, Aston Villa, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Brentford. The 24-year-old Cape Verde international, whose current deal expires June 2026, seeks guaranteed starting opportunities and Champions League football. Marseille valued Vaz at €25-30 million following his 28 Ligue 1 appearances last season.
Vaz joined Marseille from Boavista in 2023 for €8 million, contributing two goals and five assists from left-back during Roberto De Zerbi’s tenure. Club management offered a two-year extension to 2028 with €2.1 million annual salary plus bonuses, which Vaz declined citing seventh-place standing and limited European prospects. Marseille coach De Zerbi expressed reluctance for mid-season sales while acknowledging multiple suitors.
Contract negotiations conclude without renewal agreement
Vaz featured in 32 competitive matches last season averaging 1.9 key passes per 90 minutes from left-back. Marseille proposed €500,000 signing bonus alongside Champions League participation clauses. The player requested a three-year term guaranteeing 34 Ligue 1 starts, reflecting concerns over Ulisses Garcia’s 14 recent appearances.
Gestifute agency represented Vaz during Thursday discussions emphasising Serie A preference given Roma’s Europa League consistency. Marseille countered, highlighting De Zerbi’s set-piece reliance positioning Vaz as primary free-kick specialist with 82% delivery accuracy across 28 attempts.
Transfer market expert Ekrem Konur detailed growing interest. Ekrem Konur said in X post,
“#Marseille Transfer race heating up for Robinio Vaz! Roma accelerating talks, new meetings scheduled. Interest from Chelsea, Aston Villa, Eintracht Frankfurt, Brentford, plus other English & German clubs. Marseille asking €25–30M.”
🚨🆕 #Marseille 🇫🇷
— Ekrem KONUR (@Ekremkonur) January 10, 2026
Transfer race heating up for Robinio Vaz!
📌 Roma accelerating talks, new meetings scheduled.
👀 Interest from Chelsea, Aston Villa, Eintracht Frankfurt, Brentford, plus other English & German clubs.
💰 Marseille asking €25–30M. pic.twitter.com/MVJVIPu3bl
Roma advance discussions leveraging strong Marseille relations
AS Roma sporting director Florent Ghisolfi initiated talks following Tuesday rejection confirmation proposing €18 million base fee plus €4 million add-ons. Italian club identifies Vaz replacing Evan Ndicka amid Tottenham negotiations valuing defender at €25 million. Roma coach Claudio Ranieri prioritises overlapping full-backs matching Vaz 2.1 progressive carries per 90 minutes statistic.
Roma generated €42 million recouping Paulo Dybala’s departure creating €65 million net spend capacity. Ghisolfi relationship with Marseille counterpart Stéphan Biel facilitates negotiations positioning Roma frontrunners.
A Roma supporter account confirmed developments. Xtra said in X post,
“AS Roma are working on Robinio Vaz, the relationship with Marseille is excellent and Roma would like to buy the player. The player is valued at €15m, there is also competition from German & English clubs.”
🚨 AS Roma are working on Robinio Vaz, the relationship with Marseille is excellent and Roma would like to buy the player. The player is valued at €15m, there is also competition from German & English clubs. 🇫🇷
— Roma Xtra (@Romanistavero21) January 10, 2026
[@FabrizioRomano] pic.twitter.com/wNbCN0vw5y
Ulisses Garcia 32-year-old Swiss international contract concludes June 2026 alongside Vaz creating replacement urgency. Academy product Ismaël Traoré featured eight senior appearances lacking first-team experience requirements. Marseille pursued FC Porto’s Wendell October before extension commitment. Interest persists in Lille’s Bradley Locko valued €15 million despite January budget limitations following €28 million Garcia commitments. Technical director Mathieu Blondy prioritises academy integration during potential dual departures.
Vaz international record enhances serie A market value
Cape Verde international accumulated 22 caps scoring twice including 2025 Africa Cup Nations equaliser against Cameroon. Participated in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers contributing assists during 2-1 Libya victory securing playoffs. Portuguese-born Vaz debuted at senior level 2023 representing his homeland ahead of the global tournament.
Roma scouts documented 18 Boavista matches preceding the Marseille transfer recording four goals and seven assists. Tactical analysis highlights 1.8 successful dribbles per 90 minutes ranking third among Ligue 1 full-backs minimum 1,500 minutes threshold. Club recorded €47 million net transfer deficit summer 2024 featuring Pierre-Emile Højbjerg €20 million arrival offset by loan departures. €35 million wage bill reduction targets enforce Ligue 1 salary cap compliance positioning Vaz €1.8 million salary as transferable asset representing 4.2% total mass.
Frank McCourt prioritises Champions League revenues generating €85 million guaranteed participation funds contrasting current seventh-place €28 million Conference League projection.
Premier League Clubs enter competitive transfer
Chelsea monitor Vaz addressing left-back depth behind Marc Cucurella and Renato Veiga rotation. Aston Villa Unai Emery identifies Portuguese-speaking reinforcement complementing Matty Cash progression. Brentford Thomas Frank admires Vaz two-way dynamism averaging 2.3 tackles won per 90 minutes.
Eintracht Frankfurt Dino Toppmöller targets Serie A experience complementing Ansgar Knauff progression. English German competition elevates Marseille €25-30 million valuation reflecting €2.25 fee multiplier originating Boavista purchase. Vaz executed 17 corners averaging 14.2 metres distance creating four goal-scoring opportunities during 3-1 Lens victory in December. Højbjerg assumed penalty duties converting eight spot-kicks, maintaining an 80% success rate. Vaz retained three primary set-piece roles complicating Marseille succession planning.
De Zerbi praised defensive contributions, ranking Vaz fourth squad 2.3 tackles won averages reflecting tactical importance.
Serie A precedents establish transfer valuation benchmarks
Torino €16 million Destiny Udogie Tottenham transfer 2022 set Italian benchmark. Fiorentina €20 million Cristiano Biraghi Atalanta deal 2024 reflects experienced valuations. Roma €18 million proposal aligns market comparables positioning frontrunner status.
Gestifute client Rúben Dias €68 million Manchester City benchmark informs performance escalator negotiations securing upside protections. Ismaël Traoré debuted October 2025 Europa League recording 72 minutes 1.1 tackles averages. U19 captaincy featured 32 appearances, four goals six assists statistics. Blondy accelerates first-team pathway during Vaz potential departure window.
Real Sociedad Javi López €12 million pursuit represents contingency planning. López recorded 28 La Liga appearances averaging 1.7 key passes defensive metrics. Eight consecutive Europa League campaigns generated €180 million coefficient payments securing top-eight Serie A finishes. Champions League playoffs access 2024-25 contrasted Marseille Thursday Conference League fixtures. Minimum 42 competitive starts projected across competitions.
Ranieri systems demand 42% possession participation exceeding Vaz 38% Marseille averages positioning natural fit.
Financial fair play considerations influence negotiations
Ligue 1 mechanisms limit €45 million wage threshold requiring Vaz salary offloading compliance. Roma FFP accommodates €2.2 million increase representing 3.8% expansion. UEFA squad cost ratios restrict Marseille 85% threshold risk mitigation.
Vaz proceeds earmark Ulisses Garcia permanenisation €15 million plus academy allocations maintaining defensive infrastructure. Gestifute facilitated Vaz Boavista Marseille €8 million pathway establishing agency track record. Porto Diogo Costa €60 million valuation informs negotiation parameters. Primeira Liga precedents guide €18-22 million consensus reflecting Serie A premiums. Vitória Guimarães Bruno Gaspar €10 million represents Marseille contingency featuring 34 league appearances and 1.9 tackles averages.
Marseille Champions League pathways
Olympique de Marseille face mounting pressure to secure Champions League qualification, a feat requiring six victories from their remaining 19 Ligue 1 matches to hit the historic 68-point fourth-place threshold currently reflected in their 32-point tally. With Lille and Monaco holding three-point leads in the qualification spots, any slip risks relegating OM to a seventh-place finish and Europa League Thursday-night fixtures, disrupting squad rotation and recovery schedules critical for Roberto De Zerbi’s high-pressing system.
The Italian tactician, appointed amid summer upheaval, views European revenue projecting €50-70 million as vital for financial fair play compliance and summer ambition, dictating cautious January transfer timing over impulsive spending. De Zerbi prioritizes defensive reinforcements to offset potential departures, targeting versatile left-backs capable of inverting into midfield roles synonymous with his Brighton blueprint. Ajax’s Mitchell Bakker emerged as a €12 million priority, his overlapping runs and ball progression aligning perfectly, though Lille’s commitment to Ligue 1 title contention stalled negotiations despite advanced talks.
Marseille’s hierarchy, balancing FFP constraints post-Renault sponsorship boost, balked at Lille’s inflated demands, redirecting scouting toward free agents and loans while preserving wage flexibility for summer overhauls. Ulisses Garcia’s injury exposure and Quentin Merlin’s adaptation struggles underscore the urgency, with seventh-place Europa Conference League qualification offering scant consolation amid fan demands for Champions League glamour.
Statistical comparisons position Vaz premium market option
Statistical comparisons firmly position Bradley Vaz as a premium market option among Ligue 1 full-backs, ranking him third in key attacking metrics with 1.8 dribbles and 2.1 progressive carries per 90 minutes under a minimum 1,500-minute threshold. This ball-carrying prowess sets him apart from peers like Achraf Hakimi or Theo Hernández in output efficiency, blending explosive forward surges with reliable defensive contributions 68% duel success rate paired with 1.4 interceptions and recoveries per match. Such two-way dynamism evokes a modern prototype, ideal for systems demanding overlap runs without sacrificing backline stability.
Roma’s tactical projections underscore his Serie A fit, forecasting 12 goal contributions across 42 fixtures counting league and Europa League duties. Extrapolating current metrics, Vaz would thrive in Daniele De Rossi’s fluid 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 hybrids, where full-backs pin defenses and exploit half-spaces. His dribbling percentile (88th among European left-backs) aligns with Roma’s pressing triggers, while recovery rates suggest seamless adaptation to Italy’s chaotic transitions. Scouts highlight his Portuguese linguistic edge shared with Roma’s Brazilian contingent and Daniele Vacciago’s staff as accelerating cultural integration beyond raw athleticism.
Italian tactical models validate a €25 million valuation, reflecting scarcity value for 23-year-old left-backs combining elite progression (top-5 Ligue 1) with aerial dominance (72nd percentile duel wins). Serie A clubs like Atalanta or Fiorentina previously eyed similar profiles (e.g., Destiny Udogie’s €20m trajectory), but Vaz’s output exceeds 1.8 key passes per 90 rivals midfielders like Vitinha. Risks remain: Ligue 1’s lower competitive intensity tests against Juventus pressing or Inter’s midfield traps, yet his 2.1 carries suggest comfort navigating man-marking.