Newcastle United Flop Set to End St James' Park Nightmare as Ligue 1 Side Confident of Deal

Newcastle United striker Emmanuel Rivière is set to end his nightmare spell with the Toon, with Ligue 1 side Metz confident of signing the player. The former France Under-21 international has also been closely monitored by Turkish Süper Lig side Osmanlispor, but the player is believed to favour a move back to his native land with the northern French club.

According to reports from L'Equipe, Metz are closing in on signing the 27-year-old forward, and are growing increasingly confident of tying up the deal relatively quickly. Rivière has made only 31 appearances for the Magpies since joining the club from Monaco in 2014, and has just a single league goal to his name.

The forward has produced a rather underwhelming career in football, scoring 49 goals in 211 appearances - a fairly poor goalscoring return for a striker. Rivière began his career with Alpine side AS Saint-Etienne, going on to play for Toulouse and Monaco before sealing his switch to St James' Park in 2014.

Newcastle United fans may well be glad to see the back of the player, who is famed more for his acrobatic celebrations than his footballing abilities. Rivière spent last season on loan at La Liga side Osasuna, and failed to score in 15 appearances for the side. The striker will be hoping to reignite his career with a switch this summer, and Metz could be the ideal opportunity.

Toon boss Rafael Benítez has made a number of shrewd signings so far this summer: Wingers Jacob Murphy and Christian Atsu have joined from Norwich City and Chelsea, while centre-back Florian Lejeune has arrived from SD Eibar, alongside former Sunderland loanee Javier Manquillo from Atlético Madrid. Mikel Merino has also joined on loan from Borussia Dortmund.