Mason Greenwood has landed in France ahead of a medical after Marseille reached an agreement to sign him from Manchester United for £27million plus £3.2m in add-ons.
Fans greeted the forward with flares and chants of his name as he waved to them at the airport.
Joey Barton has backed his impending move despite many fans reacted furiously to being linked with him – and insisted England could have won Euro 2024 by playing the striker.
The forward, 22, was charged with attempted rape, assault and controlling and coercive behaviour in October 2022, but the charges and case were dropped in February 2023 when key witnesses withdrew. Greenwood has denied any wrongdoing.
Livid Marseille fans launched a #GreenwoodNotWelcome campaign after initial links, but Barton, who played for the Ligue 1 side in 2012-13, is adamant he ‘deserves a chance’.
Joey Barton has claimed England would have won Euro 2024 with Mason Greenwood in the team – and backed his impending move to Marseille
Marseille have reached an agreement in principle to sign Greenwood from Man United
Greenwood spent the 2023-24 season on loan at laLiga club Getafe and scored 10 goals
‘That is a great signing. This kid deserves a chance to get on with his career,’ Barton wrote on X.
‘We all make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect. England would have won the Euros with this kid in the side.
‘He’s as good a player as any in that Euros squad. His behaviour and the public fallout has massively affected his performance, yet he went to an average team in Spain and got himself back on track!’
The Three Lions lost the Euro 2024 final to Spian on Sunday and manager Gareth Southgate has since resigned after eight years at the helm.
Greenwood must still complete a medical and sign any necessary paperwork for the Marseille move to be complete. Last season he was on loan at LaLiga club Getafe, where he scored 10 goals.
Marseille’s mayor Benoit Payan has opposed the move, saying he would lobby the club’s president Pablo Longoria to call off the deal.
Greenwood returned to Carrington on Monday to speak with United chiefs about leaving. He has not played for the Red Devils since January 2022, when the allegations came out.
The charges against him were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service following the withdrawal of key witnesses, but the club continued its own internal investigatio into a series of harrowing images and audio recordings. In August 2023 it was announced he would leave by mutual agreement.
Barton added: ‘I hope Mason and his family find peace and prosperity in the south of France. Be allowed to get on with their young lives. And hopefully he can get the opportunity to atone for his errors.
Barton, 41, spent a season on loan at Marseille from QPR during the 2012-13 campaign
Marseille fans launched a #GreenwoodNotWelcome campaign on social media
Greenwood had charges of attempted rape and assault against him dropped last year
Fans took to social media asking the French club to not ‘betray its values’ by signing Greenwood
‘I know the fans of Marseille love their club. This boy could be as good a player as any Englishman that has pulled on your jersey before. With the support your incredible he will set Ligue 1 on fire. This kid is good. Believe me. If you support him, OM take back over.
‘Great coach in Roberto De Zerbi. Big conkers to take Greenwood.’
Barton, 41, became a controversial figure online several months ago with a series of extended tirades against women working in football.
He compared pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West, called it ‘dangerous’ for women to work at men’s clubs due to them having ‘full-blown affairs and costing people marriages’, and argued that Alex Scott ‘shouldn’t commentate on the men’s game’ among other diatribes.
Manchester United’s partial owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had left the door open to Greenwood returning after taking a 25 per cent stake in the club last December.
‘It’s a fresh decision,’ he said despite the club previously ruling out a return.
‘I can talk about the principle. I am not going to talk about Mason. I am familiar with it. The principle is the important one. We will have other issues going forwards.
Greenwood could link up with former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi who is now at Marseille
Greenwood has not played for Manchester United since 2022 when the allegations came out
‘You are dealing with young people who have not always been brought up in the best circumstances, who have a lot of money and they don’t always have the guidance they should have.
‘What we need to do when have issues like that is understand real affects not the hype then we need to make a fair decision in the light of the club’s values. That’s what we need to do and that’s how we will deal with it.’