Thauvin had scored 59 goals and assisted 33 more in the three seasons preceding this one after returning to Marseille from Newcastle in 2016, but an ankle injury which required keyhole surgery has restricted him to just two appearances this term.

The 27-year-old France winger has a contract with Les Phocéens which runs until 2021 and his previous numbers perhaps made speculation of a big-money move inevitable, but Thauvin is having none of it.

"I'm telling you, I'm staying, so the debate is closed!" he told Bentalha during a live discussion on the social network. "I see stuff about it every day. Why would I want to go? I'm not going to sing a song about it but you know what the club means to me. Plus, I lost a season."

Watch: All 22 of Thauvin's goals from 2017/18!

Marseille were champions Paris Saint-Germain's closest pursuers in Ligue 1 Conforama before the coronavirus-enforced break in play with a six-point cushion on third-placed Stade Rennais FC. A first UEFA Champions League campaign since the 2013/14 season is on the cards.

"I'm going to leave when we're going to play in the Champions League when I've been fighting for this for years?" Thauvin asked rhetorically. "In addition, I'm coming back from a long injury. Why would you want me to go?"

With the UEFA European Championship delayed until the summer of 2021, Christophe Dugarry - a former Marseille forward who won the FIFA World Cup with France in 1998 - thinks Thauvin's sentiment is genuine.

"Thauvin's goal is the European Championship in 2021, which could've passed under his nose following injury," he told French-Monégasque radio network RMC. "Hence, it's important that he stays in a comfortable environment. He's an excellent player."