Newcastle United are closing in on their fifth summer signing with the Premier League side in 'advanced talks' with Marseille over their winger Florian Thauvin, according to Chronicle.
The deal to bring the 22-year old to St. James' Park is believed to be worth £13 million with the possibility of Newcastle midfielder Remy Cabella joining the French side on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
'Deal is close'
L'Equipe have reported that Newcastle are in 'advanced talks' with Marseille and that a representative from the Tyneside club has flown to Marseille to meet Thauvin, with the player expected to fly to the North East to complete his medical tomorrow.
Thauvin has been a long-term target for Newcastle and he was initially reluctant to move to St. James' Park, but a deal could be completed as early as tomorrow.
Cabella is expected in France to finalise his season-long loan to Marseille with a view to a permanent move, as part of the deal.
The Frenchman, who has made 31 appearances for Newcastle after signing from Montpellier for an undisclosed fee last summer, trained with Newcastle on Tuesday but left the session early.
Thauvin's career so far
The 22-year-old spent his youth career with four different clubs (Ingre, Saint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle, Orleans and Grenoble), making his professional debut for Grenoble at the age of 17.
Thauvin then joined Corsican side Bastia in 2011 before moving to Ligue 1 after signing a four-and-a-half-year contract with Lille in January 2013. He was loaned straight-back to Bastia for the rest of the season.
He made the move to Marseille in summer 2013, without making a single appearance for Lille. The attacking midfielder signed a five-year deal at the Stade Velodrome and has made 76 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, scoring 14 goals.
Thauvin has also represented France from under-18 to under-21 level whilst being a part of the French squad which won the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. He scored a penalty in France's 4-0 win over Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals, scoring both French goals in their 2-1 victory against Ghana in the semi-finals.
What will he bring to Newcastle?
Thauvin can operate on either wing and likes to dribble, whilst using his pace and acceleration to take on players, making him dangerous during counter-attacks.
The winger will add width, pace and creativity to Newcastle's attacks and Magpies' head coach Steve McClaren will be hoping that Thauvin can provide fresh ammunition for strikers Papiss Cisse and Aleksandar Mitrovic, along with attacking midfielders Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Sissoko and Siem de Jong.
Some people may see this as a gamble after his rather inconsistent two-year spell at Marseille however, at 22-years-old Thauvin has a big potential.
Also, many people believe that Newcastle should be strengthening their defence, not their attack with attacking midfielder Wijnaldum and striker Mitrovic already moving to St. James' Park this summer.
Remy Cabella 'likely' to be loaned to Marseille
Cabella looks set to be heading in the other direction as part of the deal after just one season at St. James' Park. It is believed that the deal will initially be a season-long loan, with a view to a permanent move.
The French striker has had minimal impact since joining Newcastle from Montpellier last summer. He made 31 appearances for the Magpies, scoring once and two assists.