Transfer News: Payet wants move back to Marseille

West Ham and France star Dimitri Payet apparently wants to move back to France as part of his transfer demand. L’Equipe claims that a deal is pretty much already in the works between Payet and Marseille, and that his agent has been in contact with Marseille for months. The Guardian is also reporting that Payet’s family is unhappy living in London and wants a return to France to make his family happy.

Payet would not be the first player to put in a transfer request because of an unhappy family or because of the transition to playing in a new country, but it is quite convenient for Payet that his family is unhappy living in London at the same time that the Hammers are struggling on the pitch and the move to the London Stadium has proven to be a disaster for the fans and the players.

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It is also convenient that Marseille has switched owners since Payet was sold to West Ham in the summer of 2015, a move that he was rumored to be unhappy about. American Frank McCourt, infamously best known to fans as the previous owner of the LA Dodgers, is no stranger to controversy. His loading of debt onto LA Dodgers in return for ever increasing profit to him and his family is not fondly remembered by anyone in LA.

With a new manager, Rudi Garcia, Marseille have been on the rebound after a few years struggling in Ligue 1 and selling their best players for a profit. With a new owner, flush with cash after selling the Dodgers in 2012 for $2 billion, could Marseille see recruiting Payet back to the club as a public relations move to excite the fans? Or are they just looking for an experienced player to help them advance up the table? Either way, Marseille have money again and apparently want to spend it on Payet. Stay tuned to see if Payet is back in Marseille colors in less than a month’s time.