Gervinho Says He May Stay At Lille

There were reports over the last two days that Gervinho will probably decide which club to join by the end of the week.

Arsenal and Manchester City are supposed to be the two clubs in pole position for the player, but his agent today has refused to be drawn on which club his client will join, and that decision may not even come until early next week.

His agent Boisseau has said today:

“Nothing is finalized on Gervinho’s future,”“Gervinho will make his decision either by the end of the week or very early next week. He has many options and there has been a lot of interest in him.”

“For the moment, we’re not in a position to say anything about where he will go.”

“I can’t say anything about Newcastle – we have a good relationship with them and other clubs. The matter is confidential and it is impossible to confirm where he will be going.”

The winger/striker has one year left on his current contract, which is also said to include an £8M release clause.

Gervinho seems to have muddied the waters just a little bit this morning.

The 24 year-old has told the French press he may even stay at Lille next season, where of course he can get European Champions League football with the French Champions.

This is what the Ivorian said today:

“There is always a choice to make.” “I have one year left on my contract and I am still in discussions with Lille.”

“One thing is sure, either I extend my contract now – or I go.” “Lille is a very good project that would interest a lot of people.”

There must be a 1% chance of him staying at Lille, because why would he turn down much bigger wages elsewhere, and why would Lille not want to accept at least £8M for their star player?

We simply have no idea if Newcastle are still in with a chance of still getting Gervinho, but it now would be a big surprise if Newcastle can pull this deal off.