Newcastle United sign Marseille winger Florian Thauvin, Remy Cabella goes in opposite direction

According to La Provence, Newcastle have paid an initial £12 million (€17m) for the Marseille winger, a deal that OM president Vincent Labrune felt was too good to turn down.

The inclusion of Cabella as part of the move is believed to have helped clinch things, with an option to make that move permanent for £6m at the end of the season.

"I am delighted to be a Newcastle United player," said Thauvin on the club's website. "I have come from France to a really big club and am very happy to be here.

"It is a big honour to know that Newcastle have been after me for such a long time and that they wanted me that much.

"They have put their trust in me and I am looking forward to playing for the team."

According to reports in the French media Thauvin was initially keen to stay at Marseille, until Labrune explained to him personally that the deal was impossible for the club to resist.

A clash with fans after the weekend loss to Caen did not help, and he flew to Newcastle to continue negotiations before undergoing a medical and signing the deal.

"Florian is a player the Club have been watching for a long time and I am delighted that we have been able to sign him," said McClaren.

Thauvin has been a long-term target of the Magpies, turning them down when he moved from Bastia to the Stade Velodrome in a £12.5m deal in September 2013. The 22-year-old has been inconsistent since then, failing to fully endear himself to his new club – with the general reaction in France being that Marseille are doing well to make a profit on the left-sided player.

Cabella, meanwhile, has struggled at St James’s Park since signing for Newcastle from Montpellier last summer, failing to make a significant impact during his debut Premier League campaign amid questions about his physicality and workrate. He is believed to be open to a return to Ligue 1 as he targets a place in France’s European Championship squad, although Marseille will have to reach a compromise over his sizeable wages in order to complete the deal.