Ligue 1 Transfer Round-Up: 7 January 2009

French international Gael Givet (pictured) is almost certainly on his way out of Olympique de Marseille. The former Monaco man has been linked with a move to Blackburn Rovers, rumours which were strengthened today as Foot01 report that the Ewood Park club have requested the player to go through a trial period before they make any definite decisions.

While Marseille continue to seek an additional forward, it seems that Elliot Grandin is on his way from the Stade Vélodrome, albeit in the form of a loan deal. The former Caen man is not necessarily happy about it, though. “Personally, I am committed to Marseille and if I had to leave, even for six months, it would be with some regret,” he told l’Equipe.

Another youngster on his way out of Marseille could be Mamadou Samassa, who was only signed in the summer. Again, any deal involving him would likely be in the form of a loan, with goal-shy clubs Le Havre and Grenoble reportedly interested. Grenoble have also taken on former Bolton forward Bedi Buval, who has most recently been with Randers in Norway.

Also on the subject of strikers, Nancy have admitted that they will make great sacrifices to lure Lucas Barrios from Colo Colo to the east of France. “We think it’s really a centre-forward we need,” president Jacques Rousselot told l’Est-Republican, without actually naming a particular player. “We are ready to make a sacred effort for him.”

The other nugget of transfer news is that Younousse Sankharé’s expected loan move from Paris Saint-Germain to Reims has hit a last minute snag as the Champagne club have realised that they have already fulfilled their quota of loan players and are looking to offload before they can sign the young midfielder.

Robin Bairner, Goal.com