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Andre-Pierre Gignac rejects offer to join Monaco, will stay at Tigres

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has rejected an approach from Ligue 1's Monaco and reiterated his desire to retire with Liga MX side Tigres.

Gignac confirmed that there had been an approach from Monaco, but said if he one day returned to France it would be to play for former team Marseille.

"There was contact, but Monaco is a club that buys youngsters so they develop to sell them on later, like the cases of [Kylian] Mbappe or [Thomas] Lemar," Gignac said in an interview with Guru Deportivo. "I don't think it would be good for me to return to France if it isn't to Marseille."

Gignac suggested that he doesn't miss France at all and is hoping to extend his contract with Tigres beyond June 2019, although nothing has yet been signed.

"I'm not worried because if I have to renew, I'll renew," said Gignac, who has scored two goals in the opening two games of the 2018 Apertura. "I'm relaxed, I concentrate on my game and on starting the championship well.

"Next up is a very hard game against Cruz Azul [on Saturday], but I think it's going well. I'm the same, I want to finish my career in Tigres, but right now renewing is not my priority, my priority is on the pitch.

"It's a question of the relationship between me, the directors and the coach. If we're all on the same page I'll gladly renew, if there's a side that isn't ok, I'll go."

If the 32-year-old striker is to leave Tigres, it's not going to be to join Marseille's rival Paris Saint-Germain or Tigres' city rival Monterrey.

"I'd prefer to die of cold than wear the shirt of Rayados or PSG," said Gignac, who also stated he'd rejected offers from England, Italy and Germany to join Tigres in 2015.

Tigres have won three Liga MX championships since Gignac arrived at the club.