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Cuisance denies failing Leeds medical at Marseille unveiling
The 21-year-old looked set to join Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road before his transfer from Bayern collapsed at the last minute
New Marseille signing Michael Cuisance has denied reports that problems with his medical led to a move to Leeds United falling through.
Cuisance had looked set for Elland Road after Leeds struck a deal worth £18 million (€20m/$23m) with Bayern Munich, which included a buyback clause for the Bavarian giants.
But the deal collapsed following the 21-year-old's arrival in England last week, despite agreeing a contract with the Premier League newcomers that would have seen him sign until 2025, and he subsequently agreed a switch to Ligue 1 with Marseille on a one-year loan move.
Reports have suggested that a failed medical was behind Leeds' sudden U-turn, while L'Equipe claimed that Marcelo Bielsa pulled the plug on the signing after discovering that Cuisance's fitness did not reach the manager's expectations.
But during his presentation as l'OM's latest signing, the young Frenchman insisted that physical issues were not behind the botched transfer.
“There was no problem with the medical, the one with Marseille went very well, I am in form and ready to play," Cuisance explained to reporters on Wednesday.
"At Leeds, there was no problem from my side.”
Marseille Head of Football Pablo Longoria echoed his new charge's assertions, stating: “We did not find any issues with his medical, everything was done properly. He is completely available, at 100 per cent.”
Cuisance began his professional career with Nancy in his native France before moving to Germany at the age of 17 when Borussia Monchengladbach swooped for his signature in the summer of 2017.
The midfielder represented Gladbach for two seasons, with his potential in the centre of the pitch leading to another move, this time to Bayern.
But his only season with the reigning Bundesliga and European champions saw little opportunity for Cuisance to shine, as he made just 10 appearances for the Bayern first team in all competitions across 2019-20.
The current campaign has seen the youngster feature just once, coming off the bench to play the last 18 minutes of Bayern's 8-0 thrashing of Schalke in September.
