Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has stated that Yoan Gouffran will be staying put at St. James’ Park this summer.
Due to injuries as well as poor form, Gouffran was limited to only 9 appearances in all competitions last season and following Newcastle’s relegation into the Championship, it was believed that the 30-year-old was certain to be leaving St. James’ Park this summer.
A move back to France had been seen as a possibility for Gouffran and with the attacker having only one year remaining on his current deal, the Magpies were said to be open to facilitating a transfer for the former Bordeaux.
Surprisingly though, Gouffran has managed to play his way into the plans of manager Rafael Benitez during the current Championship season and the Frenchman has proven to be crucial in the Magpies’ turnaround in fortunes in recent times.
Benitez has now gone on the speak regarding the future of Gouffran and has gone on to state that the former France Under-21 international will be staying put at Tyneside, unless a big offer comes along.
When asked about the future of Gouffran, Benitez told the Chronicle: “Normally he has to stay now. I said before that he had some offers, but they were not good enough, so I gave him the chance to play because he has been a very good professional.
“So now after playing three games, with three wins and him playing well, then I don’t see any change. The only change is if someone comes with massive money, then I will think about it.”
