Marseille have left Senegal forward Bamba Dieng and his Democratic Republic of Congo counterpart Cedric Bakambu out of their Champions League squad after both players failed to secure a deadline day transfer away from the club.
Dieng, Bakambu and 19-year-old Frenchman Isaak Toure were the three players left out by coach Igor Tudor from the club’s European assignments with Marseille set to begin their Champions League campaign away to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
Marseille are only allowed to register 20 rather than 21 players as there are no academy products at the club. Both Bakambu and Dieng were forced towards the exit door this summer, but neither managed to make a move.
Dieng was involved in the most dramatic move after he angered Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani by making a last-minute U-turn when a deal worth €10 million with the Premier League club had been sealed, opting to stay in France, by going to OGC Nice, but that deal fell through after he failed a medical.
While Nice thought they had got one over the Yorkshire side, a problem was detected during the 22-year-old’s routine checks and the deal didn't work out, leaving the player with no option but to return to Marseille with the window closed.
Dieng has spent two seasons at Marseille, scoring nine goals in 42 appearances, including seven and three assists in 25 league appearances in 2021-22 but he is yet to play in this campaign.
There is still an opportunity for the Senegalese forward to leave the club through Ligue 1's 'joker' rule that dictates that one player can still be signed from a French team outside the transfer window. Belgian club Royal Antwerp are reportedly ready to make a €7m offer for the player.
Bakambu, meanwhile, was reported to have been a target of La Liga side Celta Vigo but he failed to secure a move with the club keen to get him off the wage bill following the arrival of Alexis Sanchez.
The DR Congo international joined Marseille in January from Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan and scored four goals in 21 matches. He has managed three games this season, coming off the bench in all of them.
Marseille are in Group D of the Champions League alongside Spurs, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting Lisbon.
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