Ligue 1 side Nimes Olympique have been offered the chance to sign Newcastle United midfielder Henri Saivet, according to Foot Mercato.
Saivet was among the big-name casualties of Steve Bruce’s start to life as Toon boss last summer, with the Senegal international, Rolando Aarons, Jack Colback, Achraf Lazaar and Jamie Sterry shunned from his first 25-man Premier League squad at St. James’ Park.
Bruce kept those who did not secure late-window moves among his first-team in training, but involvement at Darsley Park has not led to the gaffer awarding Saivet any minutes in our Carabao Cup or FA Cup ties to date, despite being authorised to feature in the competitions.
Saivet could have seen his Tyneside exile come to an end this month, with Foot Mercato claiming the 29-year-old, former Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony and ex-Toulouse midfielder Adrien Regattin have been offered to Nimes.
Les Crocodiles opted against acquiring any of the players put to them, though, meaning Saivet’s hopes of any first-team football this season likely now rely on the £35,000-per-week outcast landing a move in the final days of the winter market.
The 24-cap international will likely find it hard to secure a transfer away from the North East before Friday’s deadline strikes, given his lucrative contract at St. James’ Park and the severe lack of minutes under his belt this term.
Newcastle chiefs will be hoping that an offer does come our way before the window slams shut, with Saivet under contract until the summer of 2021 and even further down Bruce’s pecking order following the arrival of FC Schalke 04’s Nabil Bentaleb on a loan deal that carries a €10m (£8.4m) option to buy.
Should Bruce field Saivet in our FA Cup Replay v Oxford?
Yes
No
Nimes declining the chance to purchase any of the players put to them could leave the Stade des Costieres natives in an awkward position by the close of the week, having struggled in the French top-flight since securing their long-awaited return.
Bernard Blaquart’s are side just three points above bottom-placed Toulouse after 21 games, and have conceded the fourth-most goals (35) of any French top-flight side and have scored the fewest overall (16).
Blaquart has also seen several of his favoured players depart in the mid-season window, which piled on the misery for Les Crocodiles after a summer market unsuccessfully spent chasing their desired targets.
A need for fresh blood in southern France could have been ideal for Saivet, but instead, his exile on Tyneside is set to continue on with nothing more than a role in Bruce’s training ground routines preparing the boss’ first-choice players for upcoming matches.
Saivet would have been naïve to have not accepted a move away for the sake of his career, although the lucrative contract in his pocket could well see that he remains in the North East of England for the next 17 months.
In other Newcastle United news, the agent of a £20m Toon man has confirmed that his client does not see his future at St. James’ Park.