Newcastle United have completed the signing of Florian Lejeune from La Liga outfit SD Eibar.
The French defender has signed a five-year deal with the Magpies after meeting with Rafa Benítez yesterday and is expected to meet up with the players for pre-season training by the end of the week.
Who is Florian Lejeune?
The 26-year-old began his career in the lower leagues in France with Agde and then Istres.
His first big move came in 2011 when he signed for Villareal where he made 36 appearances for the B team and just five for the senior team before being shipped out on loan to Brest, then joining another Spanish outfit in Girona at the end of the 2013-14 season.
Manchester City signed Lejeune from Girona in 2015 and was immediately loaned back. The Frenchman failed to make a single appearance for City and consequently signed for Eibar in June 2016.
Before signing for the Magpies, Lejeune's performances for Eibar attracted the attention of top European clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
Lejeune: "It was an easy decision"
Speaking to NUFC TV, Lejeune said: “I’m very happy to have signed. Newcastle United is a big club, and I’m very happy to be here.
“When you have a manager like Rafa Benítez who wants you, you are very happy to come.
“Since I’ve been in touch with the manager, it was an easy decision for me to come here.”
Rafa delighted to welcome long term target
Benítez welcomed United’s second signing of the summer by saying: “I would like to welcome Florian to Newcastle United. He is a player that has done very well this year in Spain. I have known about him for a while, since he began laying for Villareal.
“He has progressed a lot as a player in the last few years and I know he will give us something different at the back" the manager commented, "he is good with both feet, he’s big and he’s good in the air also.
“If he settles well into English football then I am sure he will be a success and will give us a lot of competition in this area.”