What did you dislike about the communication around you recently?

The fact that it is a done deal that I am staying here . It is absolutely not against Nico [Seube] and he did not say it to influence anyone. It is just the little information he receives. Nico has been understanding with me since the beginning and it is he who allows me to train seriously. He puts me in the best position to be ready. But today, even for him, the situation will become unmanageable. My will has not changed, Sunderland has not withdrawn. Sunderland is always ready to welcome me and I am always ready to join Sunderland.

However, we see you again in training and the speeches are more optimistic. How can we explain this?

I have to respect the club until the end, as I have done since the beginning. This means that I am present at training. There are disagreements about my departure, compared to what was agreed, but I have to train. I do it first and foremost for myself.

You said in your only intervention on Foot Mercato that you felt “wronged and betrayed”, strong words. A verbal agreement was not respected, in your eyes.

Yes, it is a verbal agreement that was not respected and is still not respected today. I could have left Caen freely (he would have been free this summer if he had not extended for two years in 2023, editor’s note). I made the choice not to leave free to give back to the club what it has done with me these last four seasons. I am happy to leave on a good note, by being the top scorer in the championship. That is the image I want to leave of myself. I do not want to come back on the field and not perform well because I will no longer be there mentally. I want to leave on the best possible note.

The agreement you mentioned was made with Olivier Pickeu. Do you understand that it was the word of a man who is no longer president of Stade Malherbe?

I hear it, but I’m not committing to a man, I’m committing to an institution. Even if there are new leaders, we all represent the SM Caen institution. Everyone has to be accountable to the club. I want us to respect the commitment no matter what.

Were you naive to think that a word would be enough?

No, I don’t think I was naive. I gave my trust and it was simply not respected.

You’re coming off your best season and you have two years left on your contract. We can’t imagine a club letting you leave for a million euros, or even less…

I’m not here to talk about figures, but the sums that have come out are not exact, apart from the Saudi Arabia deal at the start of the off-season. That’s why we decided to drop that lead, because we felt that the club had not been respected at its fair value, and neither did I. To say that the offer [from Sunderland] is less than a million euros is false.

Can you understand, however, that Stade Malherbe does not want to part with a player of your impact for a sum much lower than, for example, that collected in the transfer of Norman Bassette?

We are in the football business, and the football business focuses first on young people. I arrived free, I could have left free. I consider that the sum that is put on the table is honourable. All parties are respected.

But the club will not be able to find a striker of your calibre

I put myself in people’s shoes enough, I would like people to put themselves in my shoes today. I made a lot of sacrifices. Last year, I could have left, I could have gone to get more money. I made the choice to stay here because the club still needed me for one more season. I warned in January that I had desires elsewhere.

Did Kylian Mbappé, the new owner of Stade Malherbe, contact you to convince you to stay?

No, he never contacted me personally. I met his entourage. I would have liked to talk with him because he knows football and he knows all these emotions that are linked to our profession.

What state of mind are you in?

I am waiting. With my family, we have planned. It is especially hard for my loved ones. We live in boxes. My head is in Sunderland. I do not see myself cheating while I have never cheated for the club. I have always given everything.

Why did you step aside so early during the preparation? Other players have desires to go elsewhere but train with their club while waiting to leave.

It’s because I felt wronged. There are many things – that I can’t say today – that have offended me. That’s why I’m here. But I’ve always been there. I trained alone, in the institution. When you see the end result, maybe I should have done like others, in other clubs or even here, and disappeared. That might have made my departure easier. But that’s really not what I want. I want people to keep a good image of me here, because I love this club despite everything.

Where are you in the discussions?

The contact has been cut off. I don’t see how anyone can refuse to speak to my representative. I have a representative, it’s not up to me to go and speak to management. I would like us to sit down around a table and find the best solution. The best solution for everyone is for me to go to Sunderland.

Sunderland, is it first of all a contract that cannot be refused on a financial level?

It’s not something you can refuse, because it’s England, a football country. The coach has wanted me for a long time. It’s not just a question of money. Otherwise, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia. But it’s interesting for me and I don’t want to miss this opportunity. I also think about my family, my children. For my children’s education, it would be a good thing for them to discover a new country, a new language.

Is it possible that you will play with Caen again given that you have two years left on your contract?

I don’t consider it because I have projected myself onto something else. Even if I am physically well, I will not be well in my head. I cannot disappoint the supporters and end up like this.

There is one week left before the end of the transfer window. Is it urgent?

It’s been an emergency for a while now. All contact has been cut off. I don’t know more, that’s why I’m speaking out today.

However, you are in contact with Pierre-Antoine Capton and Nicolas Seube. Despite the situation, you are not angry with anyone?

I’m not angry with anyone, I’m just disappointed with the situation, disappointed with the way it ended with all the sacrifices I made. I could have played in an AFCON, we were 16th at the time, I didn’t go. When I see how it ended, I tell myself that maybe I shouldn’t have made those efforts. But I didn’t make them for the people, I made them for the institution, for the club that respected me even when it was hard. I didn’t cheat, that’s why I’m still here, doing my sessions. That’s also why I didn’t want to desert. But if that’s what can help me leave, I won’t hesitate to do it. I saw that it worked so I’m asking myself the question.