Arsenal have confirmed the permanent departure of Matteo Guendouzi, with the midfielder completing a €10.5 million (£9m) transfer to Marseille.
Guendouzi moved to Stade Velodrome on loan in July 2021 after falling out of favour at Arsenal, and managed to rediscover his best form in his homeland.
The France international recorded five goals and 14 assists across 55 appearances for Jorge Sampaoli's side last season, helping them finish second in Ligue 1 and reach the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
How much are Marseille paying to sign Guendouzi?
Marseille have paid just over €11 million for Guendouzi including the €850,000 loan fee they paid upfront for his services last summer.
The 23-year-old has committed to a three-year contract at Stade Velodrome that will see him remain at the club through to the end of the 2024-25 season.
The Arsenal view on Guendouzi's exit
GOAL's Arsenal correspondent Charles Watts: "It all started so well at Arsenal for Guendouzi. I remember sitting in National Stadium in Singapore watching him announce himself in sensational style during his debut against Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2018.
"He'd arrived as a relative unknown teenager from Lorient, yet was dominating the midfield battle against Diego Simeone’' side. That’s how things went for Guendouzi during the first part of his Arsenal career. He was a key man under Unai Emery, but everything changed once Mikel Arteta came in.
"Everyone points to the incident with Neal Maupay at Brighton as the moment that signalled the end of his Arsenal career, but it wasn’t just that spat after full-time; it was how things went in the days that followed that did for Guendouzi in north London.
"Arteta and the club hierarchy were far from happy with his manner during the in-house disciplinary talks, and this all came on the back of the disagreement between Guendouzi and Arteta during a Dubai training camp which saw the midfielder left out of a game against Newcastle in February 2020.
"There was clearly just a clash of personalities between the player and manager and there is only ever going to be one winner in that situation - unless the player is something truly special.
"While Guendouzi is certainly a talent, as he has shown with Marseille, he is not the type of player who a club will side with over a manager. So this move suits all parties, although fans will justifiably think they could have got a much higher fee for the France international.
"Arsenal will just be happy Guendouzi has gone, however, and that everyone can now move on after a transfer that started well, but descended into a bit of an ugly mess."
Who could follow Guendouzi out the Arsenal exits?
Guendouzi will not be the only man heading through the exits at Emirates Stadium this summer as Mikel Arteta seeks to clear out the deadwood and move into the next phase of his long-term project.
Arsenal are in talks with Fiorentina over the permanent sale of Lucas Torreira, who spent the 2021-22 campaign on loan at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, and hope to close a deal within the next couple of weeks.
Hector Bellerin was also loaned out last term, with the full-back landing a Copa del Rey winners' medal at Real Betis, and he is eager to return for the 2022-23 campaign.
The Gunners are eager to sell Bellerin but his wages are proving a sticking point for Betis, while the north London club have also placed Pablo Mari and Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the transfer list.
Arsenal are also prepared to let backup goalkeeper Bernd Leno and club record signing Nicolas Pepe leave if they recieve suitable offers for the pair.
Who are Arsenal trying to sign this summer?
A few new faces will also be expected at Arsenal ahead of the new season, with Leicester's Youri Tielemans and Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus currently top of the club's wish list.
The Gunners have held talks with the representatives of both players and are optimistic that the deals can be finalised before the summer window slams shut.
Jesus's City team-mate Oleksandr Zinchenko is also on Arsenal's radar, along with Napoli frontman Victor Osimhen.
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