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Transfer news: Newcastle 'target' Andre-Pierre Gignac adamant he will remain at Marseille

The Magpies are eager to recruit new strikers

Agency
Monday 05 August 2013 12:24 BST
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Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac is adamant he will not be leaving the club despite speculation over his future.

The France international is one of a host of strikers to have been linked with Barclays Premier League outfit Newcastle this summer after scoring 18 goals for OM last season, 13 of them in Ligue 1.

The 27-year-old, a boyhood Marseille fan, achieved his dream move to the club in 2010 and told L'Equipe today: "You think I would say, having turned the tide, that I'm going? You don't know me well.

"I have never wanted to leave. (The links with) Newcastle and the rest, it is all bulls***.

"My mind is always on OM and I let Jean-Christophe (Cano, his agent), Vincent (Labrune, OM president) and Jose (Anigo, sporting director) know that."

Gignac also took the opportunity to defend himself against mockery over his weight, making light of Paris St Germain fans' chant of "A Big Mac for Gignac".

"It makes me laugh," he said. "As for McDonald's, it's good but I like the chicken nuggets, not the Big Mac. But I prefer sushi.

"If I eat 150 grammes of pasta, my body puts on 150 grammes, not 149. That's how I am.

"Four or five years ago, when we arrived at the airport after a match, I would grab a kebab or a McDonald's. I learnt to pay attention and moderate what I eat."

PA

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