Newcastle have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Florian Thauvin after the winger announced he is staying at Marseille for another season.
The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a £12million move to Newcastle in recent weeks but, following his recent comments, the chances of Thauvin leaving the Stade Velodrome seem remote.
“People are talking about me a lot but I haven’t said anything,” Thauvin insisted. “Now I will, I am staying at Marseille next season.”
Thauvin has been a long-term target of Newcastle’s and, following his move to Lille in 2013, he admitted he was flattered by the interest from the North-East club. He said: “Newcastle and Arsenal are very big clubs and the Premier league is also really big, so I was very happy with their interest. It just makes me even more determined to make it to the top.”
“I considered it with my agents but we’ve always put football first and I thought Lille offer was most appealing.”
The Magpies are known for their Ligue 1 exploits. Due to the super tax for high earners in France, they can offer higher net wages to tempt them across the channel. But, this time, money was not an important factor for Thauvin – a refreshing sight in modern football.
Lee Charnley and Graham Carr will now go back to the drawing board to discuss a potential alternative to the French winger, with Andre Ayew and Demarai Gray on their radar.
