Remy snubs England and signs for Marseille

MARSEILLE (AFP) – French striker Loic Remy ended speculation about his future by completing his transfer from Nice to Marseille, the Ligue 1 champions announced on Thursday.

“After passing his medical, Loic Remy signed a five year contract with Marseille on Thursday,” said a statement on the Marseille website.

According to the Nice president Gilbert Stellardo, the deal cost Marseille 15.5 million euros. His salary is reported to be 150,000 euros per month – three times what he was earning at Nice.

Remy scored 25 goals for Nice over the last two seasons and had been linked with a move to the English Premier League.

The 23-year-old, who has been capped twice by France, visited Stoke City before turning them down and was being tracked by Champions League hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.

Instead he plumped to stay in France with a Marseille side that has been shorn of its two main strikers – Mamadou Niang, top scorer in Ligue 1 last year, has moved to Fenerbahce while Hatem Ben Arfa is in conflict with the club after they blocked his proposed move to Newcastle United.

“It has been a long wait and it is a new challenge for me but I need to get stuck in quickly,” said Remy.

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps is hoping that the arrival of Remy will jumpstart the season for his side who are currently two places off the bottom of the French first division having lost both of their opening games.

“I am happy that Loic Remy is able to join us and brings us all his potential,” said Deschamps.

“He is a young international with big potential, lots of different qualities and there is a plenty of room for improvement.

“He can play anywhere up front. I am expecting him to do well and score goals. He has pace and power and is a real danger for opposition defenders.”

Marseille’s attempt to sign Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, meanwhile, is looking unlikely after Toulouse announced on Thursday that they still had not received an actual bid for the player.