The former socialist minister, who launched in September without party support, will throw in the towel in a video to be posted on social media on Tuesday or Wednesday, the sources said, confirming information from 20 minutes.
Noting that neither he (given between 0.5 and 2%) nor the left-wing candidates took off in the polls, Mr. Montebourg had affirmed in December that he was ready to put his candidacy at the service of a common candidacy to the left.
The movement of Mr. Montebourg sent an email in which he warns members that "the decision has been taken" and that its publication was imminent, said a close friend of Mr. Montebourg.
Negotiations initiated for several days with the communist Fabien Roussel and Christiane Taubira have yielded nothing and this in a "definitive" way, said these sources.
They stumbled on two points: the resumption of the themes of the candidate - which revolve around the reindustrialization of France - but also of the debt of his campaign.
"Christiane Taubira asked him to join without giving him guarantees. And Montebourg was not convinced by his last interventions, in particular his declaration of candidacy in Lyon last Saturday. He does not find that the level is up to it, " entrusted a former lieutenant of the campaign of the candidate, in withdrawal for a few days.
Regarding the debt of the investments of his campaign, "not insurmountable", Fabien "Roussel told him that it was dead because he did not save all this time to finance the campaign of Montebourg", told another relative.
© 2022 AFP