Florian Thauvin is inching closer to completing a £12m move from Marseille to Newcastle United with Rémy Cabella possibly moving in the opposite direction.
Steve McClaren knows Alexsandar Mitrovic, the club’s £13m striker, requires crosses to be properly effective and believes Thauvin has the left-wing skills to provide them.
The 22-year-old France Under-21 international has been reluctant to leave the Stade Vélodrome but has apparently been unsettled by coach Marcelo Bielsa’s departure. Marseille’s board appear to feel the deal is too good to turn down and it is up to the player to agree personal terms.
Thauvin, frequently likened to Franck Ribéry, has also been a long-term target of Graham Carr, Newcastle’s chief scout, but it seems unlikely he will be creating goals for Charlie Austin as well as Mitrovic.
Newcastle are believed to have ended their interest in the QPR forward after deciding £15m is too much for a striker with only a year remaining on his contract and a chequered medical history. Whether this is a final decision or an attempt to wait until the very end of the transfer window and see if QPR reduce their demands remains to be seen.
