Olympique de Marseille playmaker Dimitri Payet extended his contract until 2024 by drastically lowering his salary and preparing to retrain from the club, he announced on Saturday.
“I love the club and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to help it grow“, Payet explained during a press conference alongside his president Jacques-Henri Eyraud and his trainer André Villas-Boas.
“JHE“detailed the extent of the decline, the player said he wanted”play card on table“.
Payet goes “halve his salary for 2020-2021 and 30% for 2021-2022“, said Eyraud.
Over the two more years of his contract, from 2022 to 2024, Payet then agreed that “his basic salary be reduced by 30 to 40% and has given up his European qualification bonuses“, added the leader.
Finally “much of his last two earnings“contract years will be indexed to the number of matches played by Payet, 33 years old.
Financially, this represents “considerable efforts“, according to Eyraud.
“Dimitri came to tell me that he wanted to be Marseillais for life“, said the president, adding that he was going”extend two years at OM until 2024 and beyond in a retraining project“.
“I’m extremely happy, it’s an important day for me“said Payet.
“The club picked me up a number of years ago when I needed it, they did what it took to get me back. What the club gave me, I want to give it back“, he added.
First time at OM (2013-2015), “Dim“returned to La Canebière at the 2017 winter transfer window, where he was the big recruit for the McCourt project: EUR 30 million to repatriate him from West Ham (England).
“The idea started to sprout in my head when the club talked about phase 2“of the Eyraud / McCourt project. The players have to make an effort, who better than me to lead by example?” concluded Payet.
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