Borussia Monchengladbach have confirmed that Marcus Thuram will not extend his contract past the end of this season.
Since arriving at the club in 2019, the versatile attacker has emerged as the team's key player, contributing 42 goals and 26 assists in all competitions.
The 25-year-old's latest strong campaign is currently progressing in 2022-23, with 11 strikes and three assists coming from 20 Bundesliga outings.
Such form led to Thuram featuring in France's squad for the World Cup, where he made five substitute appearances, and all of the above resulted to strong interest in his signature during January.
Chelsea were known to be keen on Thuram before they eventually signed other targets, while the likes of Manchester United, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich were all linked over the course of the month.
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Thuram ultimately stayed to try to keep Monchengladbach in the hunt for European qualification, as well as to put him in a position where he had a wider pool of options later in 2023.
Nevertheless, Monchengladbach sporting director Roland Virkus has acknowledged that the club will not be able to retain the services of the player in the long term.
Speaking to Sport1, Virkus said that they "accept the fact that he will join a bigger club."
Virkus was talking after Monchengladbach had posted a surprise 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, helped by an early dismissal for the champions.
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Thuram netted what turned out to be the winner in that fixture, putting his team 3-1 ahead before Bayern scored a late consolation in added-on time.
While Monchengladbach are within one point of seventh spot in the standings, they sit nine points adrift of the Europa League places.
Instead, Thuram appears destined to link up with a club who will participate in the Champions League in 2023-24 with Arsenal also said to be among his suitors.
Thuram is in a position where he can hold discussions with foreign clubs over a pre-contract agreement.
Darren Plant
