Marseille have claimed Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy drove a hard bargain over Georges-Kevin Nkoudou's protracted move to England and Clinton Njie's loan switch in the opposite direction.
Nkoudou, 21, finalised his transfer to White Hart Lane on deadline day, more than a month after he had passed a medical at the Premier League club, with Njie, 23, moving to the Stade Velodrome.
British media reports claimed Levy, 54, had attempted to restructure the deal after Nkoudou's medical, leading to negotiations breaking down and Spurs' head of recruitment, Paul Mitchell, tendering his resignation.
Levy then resurrected the transfer in mid-August, eventually leading to Nkoudou signing a five-year contract with only hours remaining in the summer window while Njie joined OM for the 2016-17 season.
"Mr. Levy is not the easiest in negotiations, but I must say he was very straight with us," Gunter Jacob, OM's newly appointed sporting director, told media on Thursday. "I worked well with him. It was difficult, but I'm happy that we were finally able to complete the transfer."