Olympique Marseille chief Andoni Zubizarreta admits Steve Mandanda wanted to quit Crystal Palace a year ago.

The goalkeeper signed for OM last summer from Selhurst Park.

Zubizarreta recalled: "Regarding his return, it must already be said that Yohann Pelé had a very good season 2016-17. He earned us points, but we thought that to raise the level of the team, we needed something more. And when you think of a goalkeeper to raise the level of OM, the first name that comes to mind is Steve Mandanda.

"Besides, he was not playing at Crystal Palace. We talked before the winter market and we thought it was better to do it in the summer. He really helped us in negotiations with his club, he felt OM was changing.

"We did not need to explain to him what Olympique de Marseille represents ... I learned a lot about OM by listening to him."