Barthez has lost his first-team place Fabien Barthez is on the brink of joining Marseille on loan.
The French club say they have reached an agreement for the goalkeeper with Manchester United, who deny that a deal has been done. "We are in discussions with Marseille but no final agreement has been reached," said a spokesman for the defending Premiership champions. Marseille president Christophe Bouchet, however, is convinced that the swap will be confirmed by the weekend. He announced the news on the club's website, and is awaiting Fifa ratification because the proposed loan is taking place outside of the allotted transfer window. Barthez, who signed from Monaco for £7.8m in May 2000, has found himself as third-choice at Old Trafford, behind summer signing Tim Howard and Northern Ireland's Roy Carroll. The 32-year-old played for Marseille until 1995, winning the European Cup with them in 1993. He was also an important part of the French squad which won the World Cup in 1998 and the 2000 European Championships. But national coach Jacques Santini has warned Barthez that his number one shirt is under threat if he does not play regular first-team football. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Rent DVDs Online - Over 14,500 titles. No Late Fees & Free Shipping. Try Netflix for FREE! http://us.click.yahoo.com/Tq9otC/XP.FAA/3jkFAA/tsUolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************** Reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe from the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
