Cabaye wants Marseille move – Allardyce

Sam Allardyce believes Yohan Cabaye wants to join Marseille, although the Crystal Palace manager would prefer to keep him at Selhurst Park.

The France international joined Palace from Paris Saint-Germain in 2015 and scored five goals in his first season at Selhurst Park, helping the Eagles finishing 15th at the end of the campaign.

He started 32 of his 33 appearances last term but he has been less of a first-team regular under Sam Allardyce, making the starting XI on 19 occasions and scoring just twice.

And his lesser role has led Allardyce to believe the 31-year-old now has his eyes set on a move to Ligue 1 outfit Marseille.

Speaking ahead of a trip to face Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, Allardyce says any potential switch would first depend on Marseille making a significant offer.

“[Cabaye] would like to keep the club up,” the Palace manager told a pre-match news conference. “Reading between the lines, he would like to go to Marseille if they made a big enough bid for him.

SA: All of us have to get better in the final third. We’re not as creative or as clinical as we should be at the moment.

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) March 31, 2017

“In today’s world and today’s society, if he does the job for us and keeps us up and Marseille offer us millions of pounds, then Steve [Parish, chairman] will say ‘Should we or shouldn’t we’.

“But I would prefer to keep him.

“What happens [at the end of the season]? Who knows? There will be some comings, there will be some goings and that happens at every football club now. Too much these days.”