Newcastle United have been dealt a blow in their bid to sign Marseille forward Florian Thauvin after the winger admitted he expects to stay in France next season. The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Tyneside in the past and reports this month claimed the Magpies were close to agreeing a £12 million fee for the France Under-21 winger. But the extremely highly-rated Thauvin - who has already played for four different sides and has commanded transfer fees of a combined value of more than £15 million to date - does not anticipate an imminent move to the Premier League. Thauvin, who has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur, has been consistently benched by Marseille boss Marcelo Bielsa this season despite being able to play anywhere across the front three but commented:
"People are talking about me a lot but I haven't said anything. Now I will - I am staying at Marseille next season."
The French winger started his career at Grenoble before moving to Bastia in 2011. A £2.5 million transfer to Lille followed in 2013 but Thauvin was immediately loaned back to Bastia where he scored 10 times in 51 games. It was in 2013 that Marseille beat Newcastle to Thauvin's signature - and he has scored 15 goals and provided 14 assists in 73 appearances since. He has also netted seven times in 10 France Under-21 games. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow WhatCultureNUFC on Twitter and Facebook.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
