Mason Greenwood leaves Manchester United for French side

Mason Greenwood ’s Manchester United career has ended after Marseille signed the forward for a fee rising to £26.6m.

The England international, who has not played for United since being arrested in January 2022, has signed a five-year deal with the French club.

United, who had planned to sell Greenwood this summer to raise funds for their rebuilding, also have a sizeable sell-on clause should the 22-year-old leave Marseille.

Greenwood spent last season on loan at Getafe, scoring nine goals, and also attracted interest from a number  of other clubs, with Lazio bidding for him.

The forward debuted for United at 17 and scored 35 times in 129 games for the club, with only Norman Whiteside and George Best getting more goals for the club as a teenager.

But after disturbing audio emerged in January 2022, Greenwood was charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

While those charges were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service when a witness withdrew their cooperation, United suspended him and conducted an internal investigation that resulted in former chief executive Richard Arnold determining that he should not play for the club again.

Greenwood had a meeting at the Carrington training complex with the club’s new powerbrokers last week in which it was underlined that United’s priority was finding him a new club, rather than bringing him back into the fold.

Marseille mayor Benoit Payan had stated last week that he opposed the attempt to buy Greenwood, saying: "I do not want my club to be covered in shame. It is not acceptable."

However, the 1993 Champions League winners have completed the signing, with Greenwood set to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has signed for Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah.

Meanwhile, United have already signed another forward this summer, in Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna, while they are closing in on a deal for Lille centre-back Leny Yoro, with the sale of Greenwood helping to finance those arrivals.