The former England midfielder wants a permanent move to Ligue 1.
On-loan Marseille midfielder Joey Barton says he wants to stay in France after stating he would not be returning to his parent club QPR.
Barton has spent the 2012/13 season playing in Ligue 1 and after Rangers’ relegation from the Premier League, announced he would not be going back to west London due to their betrayal.
“I could hardly go back to QPR, which dropped me in it when I had an incident,” the 30-year-old told French magazine L’Equipe, as quoted on footynews24.com.
“It would be like going back to a girlfriend who betrayed me.”
Barton was unhappy after the Rs sent the midfielder to France following a 12-match ban from the FA, issued on the last day of the 2011/12 campaign.
The former Newcastle player was handed the suspension after punching Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero, kicking Carlos Tevez and trying to headbutt Vincent Kompany, in a match mainly remembered for Aguero’s last minute goal that clinched the title for City.
In the close season QPR agreed to the loaning of Barton to Marseille as a makeweight for the transfer of Cameroonian Stephen M’Bia.
As a result of this apparent desertion in the Englishman’s eyes, he has appealed to Les Phoceens to secure his signature on a permanent basis at the Stade Velodrome.
“I hope to stay here. When I came, my idea was to become the best player in France,” Barton said.
“I was not this season, but I didn’t see anything that would make me believe I could not become the best.”
As yet no deal has been made between QPR and Marseille regarding the midfielder’s future, but Barton did hint towards a clause in his contract that would allow him to move to France on a free transfer.
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