The midfield player - part striker - has rejected a one-year offer, and Allardyce insists there is no going back.The 32-year-old Frenchman's family still live in the north-west and he was unwilling to move them to Tyneside unless he had a guaranteed two years.
Now it looks like Wigan and Bolton are set to offer him a deal ... but guess what ... no more than a year deal.
Wigan want him to link up with new signing Titus Bramble, but Bolton could be a better prospect for the Frenchman because they can offer European football.