At Brest station, on the port or from the Jean-Jaurès thoroughfare, there is no indication that Brest is preparing to play in the Champions League this season. But they will have to prepare for it, and a prestigious friendly match against Juventus Turin has even been scheduled for Saturday, August 3, in Pescara, so that the Pirates can get used to rougher waters.
Before getting into the thick of the continental competition, Hugo Magnetti and his friends are back in training this Tuesday, but in a small group. The squad was already thin last season and it will get even thinner, with the probable departure of Lilian Brassier (24 years old, under contract until 2025), expected at Marseille. The transfer is almost complete. Originally, the defender wanted to discover abroad and play in a European Cup, but the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi at OM changed the situation.
Mounié has not been in Brest since Monday
All that remains is to finalize the details. For Brest, this is a big sporting loss, but one that was anticipated: Julien Le Cardinal, loaned by Lens last season, has signed permanently in Brittany, as revealed in our Monday edition, for three years. He will be in Guipavas this Tuesday morning.
Éric Roy will have to deal with other absentees, however, such as Bradley Locko, retained by the French U23 team for the Games. The left-back will not be available immediately since he only took a week off and will therefore allow himself another vacation. He is especially the subject of assiduous courtship from Nottingham Forest and Naples, and it may be difficult for Brest to resist a double-digit offer.
In terms of uncertainty, the Finistériens will also resume without Steve Mounié, whose contract expired on Monday, without Martin Satriano, who was on loan from Inter Milan, and without Kamory Doumbia, who belongs to Reims.
Good news nonetheless: Pierre Lees-Melou, injured before the break, has already resumed training since last week, with a physiotherapist, in the hope of being fit for the resumption of the Championship, against OM, the weekend of August 17 and 18.
