Iliman Ndiaye leaves Sheffield United for Marseille
The Blades' preparations for their return to the Premier League have taken a hit
Sheffield United's preparations for the new season have taken a blow with forward Iliman Ndiaye leaving Bramall Lane to join Marseille.
The club says it "reluctantly" accepted a bid from the French club, with Ndiaye completing his move today.
The Blades thought they had got their prized asset to sign a new deal, with the 23-year-old even going as far as recording an announcement video on their pre-season tour to Portugal.
But he performed a late U-turn, leaving the club with little choice but to sell with under 12 months left on his existing contract.
Marseille have been pursuing Ndiaye, who was part of the youth set-up at the Ligue 1 club, for most of the summer and have got their man.
It constitutes a dream move for the French-born striker, who is a Senegal international, and he will get to play alongside the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the south of France.
His exit presents a big blow for boss Paul Heckingbottom with less than two weeks to go before their Premier League curtain-raiser with Crystal Palace.
Chief executive Stephen Bettis told United's website: "Obviously, we wanted to keep Iliman, but unfortunately the player made it clear that he wanted to make the move happen, despite our best efforts to convince him to stay and play Premier League football. We thank him for his efforts and wish him well.
"With regards to the short-term, the plan is to support Paul Heckingbottom and the coaching team to be ready for the first game of the season against Crystal Palace."