Olympique Marseille have secured a major signing with star defender Derek Cornelius joining the team on a four-year contract from Malmo.
This comes after renowned transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano said on Wednesday, July 31 that the deal to take Cornelius to the nine-time French champions will be completed imminently.
Romano wrote on his X, former Twitter page: “EXCL: Olympique Marseille agree on a deal with Malmö to sign Derek Cornelius the 27-year-old defender.”
Romano stated that Cornelius will travel to Marseille on Friday, August 2, and have a medical over the weekend before signing until 2028.
He added: “Understand fee will be over €4.3m, including add-ons. Cornelius will be in Marseille this weekend to sign for OM.”
Meanwhile, today, August 4, the Italian transfer expert Romano reported that the Malmo defender’s transfer is now complete in a deal worth more than €4.3 million.
According to the Italian, the Canadian center-back Cornelius has put pen to a four-year contract at the French club and will be staying there until 2028.
Romano wrote: “Official, confirmed. Derek Cornelius signs in as new Olympique Marseille player from Malmö. 4-year deal for the defender.”
With the transfer now completed, Cornelius will be joining Marseille as they aim to strengthen their defense for the upcoming seasons.
The Canadian center-back has impressed during his time at Malmo, scoring six goals in 48 appearances and helping the team win the Swedish league title and the Svenska Cupen.
Cornelius’s impressive performances for Malmo have not gone unnoticed and have earned him the move to French club Marseille.
The future looks bright for Cornelius as he continues to excel for both club and country, thanks to the impact of Jesse Marsch on his Canada career.
Marseille fans will be hopeful that the addition of Cornelius will help the team compete at the highest level in both domestic and European competitions.
He will be joining his Canada men’s national team teammate Ismaël Koné at Marseille, who recently signed a deal with the Ligue 1 club from Watford.
Derek Cornelius club career
Derek Cornelius began his football career training with the VfB Lübeck U19 team. After two seasons with the main team, he was unable to play due to FIFA rules for underage players.
However, he became eligible to play on 1 January 2016. During his time with VfB Lübeck, he won the Schleswig-Holstein Cup two consecutive seasons and made an appearance in the 2015-16 Regionalliga Nord.
In the summer of 2016, he moved to VfR Neumünster where he played the first half of the season.
He also played for Serbian SuperLiga side Javor Ivanjica and Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps FC before joining Malmo in 2022.
His international career
The Canadian national team defender, Cornelius, has experienced a resurgence in his international career since Jesse Marsch took over as the head coach of the CanMNT.
Before Marsch’s appointment in May, Cornelius had only earned five caps for the national team in four years.
However, under Marsch’s guidance, Cornelius has been a key player for Canada, featuring in all eight matches and starting in seven of them.
The only match he missed was when he was rested during the Copa América third-place playoff against Uruguay.
