Emmanuel Petit is baffled by Dimitri Payet's attempt to force a move from West Ham United to Marseille, and warned the France international he faces a backlash from Hammers' fans.
Payet, 29, signed a lucrative five-year deal last February, but is now determined to leave the club and rejoin Marseille, with whom reports claim he has already agreed personal terms.
OM president Jacques-Henri Eyraud and the Ligue 1 side's sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta, are due in London on Monday, according to L'Equipe, to discuss a transfer fee for the player with West Ham.
They have already reportedly had a €25 million offer rejected for a player they sold for €10m less just 18 months ago and former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Petit told SFR Sport the transfer makes little sense for either the player or the French club.
Manu Petit : "Je ne comprends ni Payet, ni l'OM !" ⚽️���� #PLZone #Mercato #TeamOM #OM cc @TeamOM_Officiel @lephoceen @OMLaProvence pic.twitter.com/0emHxWqCd1
- SFR Sport (@SFR_Sport) January 15, 2017
"Football today is a huge business where each defends his own interests," Petit said. "Despite that, I don't understand the timing, I don't understand Marseille. It might disappoint Marseille fans, but to spend €35m on a player you've sold for €15m 18 months ago, it's a very bad deal financially on a 30-year-old player.
"I could at least have understood if Payet had gone to a club playing in the Champions League, a sporting trampoline...he's barely played in the Champions League I think.
"I don't understand the timing. He could have gone to the end of the season and agreed things amicably with the club. I have seen transfers under tension, such as that of Nicolas Anelka with Arsenal or Sylvain Wiltord, who put pressure on Bordeaux, refused to train. But they're quite rare.
"It's also rare to see the fans' attitude change so quickly. They're not fickle fans. If they're ready to hate you just as much as they loved you a few months ago, it's for a good reason.
"I took the underground on leaving the stadium with Chris Waddle [on Saturday]. We talked to West Ham fans for half-an-hour. Whether they were eight years old or 70, they were all agreed Payet cannot play for West Ham again.
"There's a hatred that could go beyond sport. There are people who are ready to punch him in the face. It could go quite far."
Payet, who has contributed two goals and six assists in 18 Premier League games this season, told RMC in December he could be tempted to join OM, who were taken over by American owner Frank McCourt earlier this season.
"Marseille have a new project that looks interesting to me," Payet, who played at the Stade Velodrome for two seasons before crossing the Channel, said at the time. "Of course, everyone is waiting to see what the new owners do. Everyone knows of my attachment to the club. I only talk about it in glowing terms, so why not?"