Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi has left the Italian club to join Marseille on loan for the rest of the season.
The Ukraine international will join the French giants on loan for six months but have an obligation to buy the 29-year-old for €10m + €3m add-ons this summer.
Malinovskyi has been with Atalanta since 2019 and has played 142 times for the Italian club – scoring 30 goals and assisting a further 28.
The Ukrainian was wanted by several clubs and Marseille have beaten the likes of Premier League sides Tottenham and West Ham to the midfield star, according to Corriere della Sera.
? DEAL DONE: Ruslan Malinovskyi has left Atalanta and joined Marseille on loan with an obligation to buy for €10m + €3m add ons.
(? @OM_Officiel)
pic.twitter.com/Bl789NiXWn— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 9, 2023
When it comes to his midfield, Antonio Conte has only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Yves Bissouma to call upon for the near future following the injury picked up by Rodrigo Bentancur at the World Cup.
The Italian coach is in need of another body for the centre of the park and Malinovskyi would have brought some creativity to the Spurs squad.
However, Tottenham’s recruitment team will now need to look elsewhere and provide Conte with the players to progress and make a push forward throughout the second half of the campaign.
Levy procrastinating again, that’s why all the good signings get snapped up before Levy pulls the trigger.