Newcastle Have "£4m Bid Rejected" For French Defensive-Midfielder

Newcastle United have had a £4 million bid for Marseille midfielder Mario Lemina rejected, according to reports in France. L€™Equipe claim the Magpies have tabled a joint bid for both Florian Thauvin and Lemina, somewhere in the region of £15 million, and that the offer for the latter was rejected. Thauvin has long been linked to the Magpies, but Lemina is a new addition to the list of players touted as moving to Tyneside this summer.

The 21-year-old defensive-midfielder was born in Gabon but has represented France at various youth levels - and Ligue 1 followers will know that he is extremely highly rated. Signed by Marseille from Lorient in 2013, the six-foot-tall Lemina has made 37 Ligue 1 appearances for the club since - scoring twice. Should Cheick Tiote leave this summer, then Lemina is seen as a possible replacement as he is tall, powerful and still have time to develop. What's more, due to his age, he would certainly have sell-on value as well. Meanwhile, with Marseille having paid £12 million to Lille for Thauvin in 2013, the Ligue 1 side hope to make a 33% profit on the winger and were initially intending on holding out for £18 million despite the Frenchman€™s poor performances over the last couple of seasons. However, the fact they are strapped for cash could see them accept less. Marseille have already sold Dmitri Payet to West Ham United for £11 million and Giannelli Imbula to Porto for £22 million this summer - and they need to continue to recoup funds, so Thauvin is another who could depart.

The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Tyneside in the past because he is a favourite of chief scout Graham Carr€™s and reports in May claimed the Magpies were close to agreeing a £12 million fee for the France Under-21 winger, although nothing came to fruition. 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 €“ is seen as an ideal replacement for Papiss Cisse, who the Magpies are looking to offload for £10 million this summer. 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 79 appearances since. He has also netted seven times in 10 France Under-21 games. The 5ft 10in forward - who can operate in the centre, but usually plays wide in an attacking system or as a winger - has been seen as the next-best thing in France for five years now, but can Newcastle really get the best out of him? For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.