Marseille president Pape Diouf insisted Tuesday he has no intention of selling Djibril Cisse after turning down a move from English Premier League club Manchester City for the striker.
"I will make myself very clear concerning Djibril Cisse: he will not leave, he will stay at Marseille until the end of the season," said Diouf. "It is certain many English clubs have shown interest in him. I have been approached very officially by Manchester City, to whom I categorically said no," confirmed Diouf.
The 26-year-old former Liverpool striker has been linked with a return to the Premier League after failing to secure a regular starting role with the French club this season. And Cisse's agent Ranko Stojic was singing a different tune to Diouf. "Everybody has forgotten that Djibril has not always been respected in recent times, personally as well as a professionally. "Not only by the supporters (Cisse is regularly jeered by Marseille fans), but also from within the club.
"It is for that reason, I can't say today that he will leave, but on the other hand I can't say that he won't leave," said Stojic. But with Senegal striker Mamadou Niang set to compete in the African Nations Cup, Marseille are keen to hold on to Cisse who scored his first goal since October at the weekend during his club's French Cup tie with minnows Beauvais.
"With all he has gone through I understand that he wants to push for a transfer," said Diouf. "Having heard that a big English club wants him, he could have dug his heels in and said he's going, like certain players do. "We know Djibril could do this. But when we talked together him and me, he understood my position, he understood that I would not let him go."
by www.wldcup.com
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