Marseille star nears Newcastle switch

Reports from France suggest that Marseille star Hatem Ben Arfa is close to completing a switch to Newcastle United in the near future. The deal is expected to be formalised on either Monday or Tuesday, with Newcastle expected to pay L’OM an initial loan fee of 800,000 euros.

Ben Arfa, born in Clamart, originally played for Olympique Lyon before switching to South Coast outfit Marseille in 2008. He celebrated his 23rd birthday in March this year and has already earned seven caps for the French national team.

TSG Hoffenheim and Rubin Kazan were the other teams in contention for Ben Arfa, who is said to prefer a move to Newcastle over transferring to either Germany or Russia.

[Source:- France Football, Canal +]