Newcastle target appears to clear up future

If you were among the camp holding out hope that Florian Thauvin would be wearing the black and white stripes in the upcoming season, it appears that those hopes may be coming up to nothing.  Just passing through on the second-most reliable "source" this transfer window with regards to Newcastle United – Twitter (following, of course, Instagram) – Thauvin has confirmed that he will be staying with Marseille for the upcoming season and will wear the #10 shirt for them.

It's not much to worry about, however, if you really want to see him on Tyneside as this is part of the dance that ultimately happens before a long-reported Newcastle target ends up at Swansea or Southampton (think Bafetimbi Gomis... or Wilfried Bony... or...).  He'll be linked again in January and perhaps next summer, so surely all hope is not lost (spoiler alert: it is) as Lee Charnley will surely be actively working to bring him "over the line".

There is some degree of progress being made on the transfer front – if you believe wind-up accounts on the Twitter – as the Joel Matip fee is agreed with Schalke while Giorginio Wijnaldum is supposed to be coming to Newcastle for a medical.  Insert your regularly scheduled "until he's holding the shirt" disclaimer here and wait with baited breath for the club-approved Fans' Forum minutes to be released tomorrow.

Thauvin's tweet:

C'est officiel maintenant ce sera avec le numéro 10 que je porterai fièrement nos couleurs la saison prochaine @OM_Officiel

— Florian Thauvin (@FlorianThauvin) July 7, 2015