Newcastle target Thiago Maia has spoken out with respects to his future.
The 21-year-old impressed as a holding midfielder for Lille this last season, and the Magpies are understood to have made an offer for the Brazilian.
With Lille in a precarious financial situation, the French club may be forced to part ways with their shining star.
Despite the context suggesting a move may be on the cards, Thiago Maia has insisted he is happy with his current scenery.
I am very happy in Lille and I hope to continue so that I can gain a little more experience in Europe,
I know that this first season I had was about learning and it was not easy, not only for me but also for the other Brazilians, the other athletes and the coach as well. But I hope that what happened in the past does not happen in the present.
Moving from Santos prior to the start of the season, the Roraima-native admitted it hadn’t been easy moving to Europe.
What I felt most difficult about the adaptation was with food and language. Because my mother did not go with me at first, and then I had to eat what I had there, I got used to not eating rice, beans, meat and not having it was difficult for me.
But soon after my mother went with me and things were getting on slowly – I even lost some muscle mass because I was not eating well at first.
Thiago Maia made 34 appearances for Lille last year. The bruising defensive presence has also received the nod for the Brazilian under-23s on six occasions, and even has a gold medal from the 2016 Olympic Games for playing a part in the victorious Brazil squad.
