Quinten Timber and Lamine Camara are both expected to start when AS Monaco host Olympique de Marseille in Ligue 1 on Sunday, despite intense speculation linking both midfielders with moves to the Premier League.
Timber has been heavily linked with Crystal Palace but will feature for the visitors, while Camara, who is attracting interest from Chelsea, is set to line up for the Principality club.
Marseille selection crisis
Marseille manager Bruno Genesio faces severely limited options for the trip to the Stade Louis II. Winger Igor Paixão is unavailable through injury, though he is also being linked with a move to Sunderland.
Defender Leonardo Balerdi is also out. The Argentine was photographed in Rome on Saturday and is expected to undergo a medical with AS Roma ahead of a proposed transfer.
These absences have forced Genesio to consider a system featuring four midfielders and two forwards rather than his usual tactical approach.
Predicted Marseille XI: Jeffrey De Lange; Emerson, Nayef Aguerd, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Timothy Weah; Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Quinten Timber, Himad Abdelli; Angel Gomes; Amine Gouiri, Amine Harit.
Monaco fitness concerns
The hosts face their own problems in attack. Folarin Balogun remains absent as he continues to regain fitness following his return from the FIFA World Cup. Ansu Fati is also out injured.
Takumi Minamino and Mohamed Salisu are both building their fitness after suffering anterior cruciate ligament injuries last season.
Up front, manager Filipe Luís faces a selection dilemma between Paris Brunner and Mika Biereth, with the in-form Brunner potentially preferred.
Meanwhile, Eric Dier is expected to start in defence despite looking likely to leave earlier in the summer.
Predicted Monaco XI: Lukas Hrádecký; Nazinho, Eric Dier, Sadibou Sané, Vanderson; Denis Zakaria, Lamine Camara; Stanis Idumbo, Aleksandr Golovin, Mamadou Coulibaly; Paris Brunner.
Transfer deadline context
The fixture comes days before the summer transfer window closes. While Camara and Timber are expected to start, their long-term futures remain uncertain. Balerdi’s move to Roma appears imminent, whilst Paixão continues to generate interest from English clubs.