RENNES, France (AP) — Marseille signed Netherlands midfielder Quinten Timber in a cut-price deal Friday with his contract at Feyenoord set to expire at the end of the season.
Marseille did not disclose the transfer fee for the 24-year-old Timber but it was reportedly 4.5 million euros ($5.3 million), well below his true market value.
Timber, whose twin brother Jurrien plays for Arsenal, played for the national team in three World Cup qualifying games last year.
He scored in a 3-2 win at Lithuania as the Dutch topped the group to advance. The Netherlands is in a World Cup group with Japan, Tunisia and the winner of a European playoff.
Also moving to France was Poland midfielder Sebastian Szymanski who transferred from Turkish club Fenerbahçe to Rennes bolster the club’s push for a European spot.
Szymanski and Timber met in the Champions League qualifying rounds when Fenerbahçe eliminated Feyenoord in August.
Timber will be eligible for Marseille in the Champions League if the team advances to the knockout phase starting in February. Marseille is 19th in the 36-team standings ahead of playing at Club Brugge in the last round of league-phase games next Wednesday.
Marseille described Timber as a “modern midfielder par excellence. Comfortable on the ball, he knows how to break through the lines with his dribbling or passing, while also providing a real defensive presence.”
Rennes, in sixth place in Ligue 1 entering the weekend, said late Thursday it signed the 26-year-old Szymanski to a contract to 2029.
The left-footed attacking midfielder made 134 appearances in 2 1/2 seasons at the Istanbul club, scoring 22 goals and providing 30 assists.
Neither team specified the transfer fee, but it was widely reported to be around 10 million euros ($11.7 million).
Rennes hosts Lorient on Saturday. The team has also reached the French Cup round of 16.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
