(GSM) Olympique Marseille are keen on retaining the services of Mathieu Valbuena following talks regarding a contract extension.
The France international, who is already tied to the Ligue 1 champions until 2012, is already in the midst of fresh talks regarding a contract extension beyond his current deal.
And Marseille, who are confident Valbuena will put pen to paper, are keen to fend off reported interest in the 25-year-old midfielder, who has become an integral part of their plans again of late.
Coach Didier Deschamps overlooked him during the early stages of the 2009/10 campaign but, having forced his way back in, Valbuena ended the campaign strongly and played a leading role in the club s Ligue 1 title-winning exploits.
Mathieu is and will remain at Marseille this season, Valbuena s agent, Christophe Hutteau, told L Equipe.
Also, an extension to his contract was verbally agreed a fortnight ago. We have a meeting scheduled to finalise a few details.
