Tuesday, 11th February, 2014
Florian Thauvin believes that a move away from France's Ligue 1 will be a natural stage in his development, but insists he must first establish himself as a key man at Marseille.
The former Lille midfielder has impressed at the Stade Velodrome since joining Marseille last summer from Lille. Indeed, the French giants had to rebuff an offer from Tottenham Hotspur for Thauvin last month, while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is a confirmed fan.
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Thauvin is prepared to satisfy the demand for his services outside France, but on his own timescale, which means there is work to do on the French south coast first.
"Leaving for other championships is part of our culture in France", the 21-year-old told Gazzetta dello Sport when asked about a potential switch.
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"An experience abroad is always a positive if it happens at the right time", he continued.
"Olympique de Marseille are a great French club. If I become essential here, then I can aspire to a top European club."
Marseille will certainly not be keen to lose Thauvin, especially with interim coach Jose Anigo revealing recently that the club plan to build a team around the midfielder.
"He features in our project for two to three years. He doesn't plan on leaving at all", said Anigo.
"If that wasn't the case, we would have sold him already and achieved a great profit."
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