MARSEILLE, France — On Friday, Marseille provided clarification regarding the failed transfer of goalkeeper Pau Lopez to their French rival, Lens, which was set to happen from his current loan at Girona. This information comes in light of Lens announcing that Lopez will not be joining them as a substitute for Brice Samba, who moved to Rennes.

Lopez, age 30, was initially on loan from Marseille to Girona in Spain’s La Liga. Earlier this week, he had completed a medical examination with Lens and even shared photos in the team’s jersey. However, what seemed like an imminent transfer quickly deteriorated, prompting Marseille to explain the situation in an official statement.

According to Marseille, the process began on Tuesday afternoon when they reached out to Girona to request the early termination of Lopez’s loan agreement, which was originally valid for the entire season. Shortly after, Lopez signed an agreement intending to play for Lens following his successful medical assessment. However, Marseille refrained from countersigning the document, as they were still waiting for the signed release from Girona. This led to the miscommunication about Lopez’s move.

“Despite the lack of a formal commitment from all involved parties, the communication teams of Lens and Marseille decided to announce the arrival of the Spanish goalkeeper at Lens due to their usual cooperation,” stated Marseille. “This premature announcement from Lens lacked any legal backing and was promptly revoked by Marseille.”

Furthermore, Marseille noted that on Tuesday evening, they received assurances from Girona that the necessary paperwork for Lopez’s loan termination would be sent either later that night or by Wednesday morning. However, at midday on Wednesday, Girona conveyed that it would be more appropriate to wait until January 22 for the agreement to be finalized, citing the importance of a Champions League match against AC Milan.

Marseille explained that the decision from Girona to keep Lopez was influenced by the injury of their third-choice goalkeeper, Lucas Garcia, during a training session on Tuesday, leaving them in need of Lopez as a backup for the crucial match in Milan.

In a final note, Marseille remarked that despite the general agreement for Lopez’s transfer still being valid but merely postponed, Lens opted to terminate the arrangement altogether.