Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed that he has tried to convince Tottenham Hotspur to allow Clinton Njie to rejoin the French club.
Njie, 22, had an injury-hit first year at Spurs and he has been tipped for a loan move to Marseille as part of a deal that would bring Georges-Kevin Nkoudou to London.
After leaving Lyon in a £14 million transfer, the Cameroon attacker made just eight appearances under Mauricio Pochettino during his first season in England.
Marseille had a hugely disappointing campaign last time out, finishing 13th in Ligue 1, and it has been an uncertain summer at the club following boardroom upheaval.
They appear favourites to sign Njie so that Spurs can secure Nkoudou but Aulas told Foot Mercato that he had also been in touch with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.
"We were interested in Njie," Aulas said. "I think my friend Levy, the president of Tottenham, had more desire to loan him to Marseille, but I think that Njie would rather come back to Lyon because he knows what maybe awaits him in Marseille.
"We saw last season that he's a sensitive guy -- it's difficult to arrive at a club that you don't know."