PSG seal Cabaye deal

Paris Saint-Germain have signed Yohan Cabaye from Newcastle United on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

The 28-year-old France international moves to the Ligue 1 champions for a fee believed to be in the region of £20million.

Cabaye, who joined Newcastle from Lille in June 2011, has been heavily linked with a switch away from St James’ Park throughout the January transfer window, with Manchester United also thought to be interested in his services.

The midfielder reportedly wanted to sign for Arsenal ahead of the 2013-14 season, and did not feature in Newcastle’s first two Premier League fixtures of the campaign against Manchester City and West Ham after the Emirates Stadium outfit had a bid rejected.

However, he went on to make 19 top-flight appearances for Alan Pardew’s side this term, scoring seven goals.

Cabaye joins a club that sit top of Ligue 1 with 51 points from 22 matches this season, as Laurent Blanc looks to successfully defend the title won by previous incumbent Carlo Ancelotti last term.

The Parisians will also resume their UEFA Champions League campaign against Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16, with the first leg on February 18.

And Cabaye said he could not resist the chance to help PSG achieve further success for the rest of the campaign.

“I was won over by the ambitious project at Paris Saint-Germain and I can’t wait to join this exceptional squad and help the team reach its objectives in France and in Europe,” he said.

Newcastle confirmed the club were reluctant to sell their midfield talisman, but were unable to reject the overtures of a side that can promise Cabaye Champions League football.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “Newcastle United have benefitted significantly from Yohan’s talents since his arrival from Lille in the summer of 2011, and the player has likewise benefitted, developing hugely during his time on Tyneside.

“The club wanted to keep him but the lure of Champions League football and the prospect of being involved in the sporting project at PSG was an opportunity that Yohan made very clear to us he wanted to take.”

Alan Pardew has already started to reinvest the money from Cabaye’s sale with the loan signing of Borussia Monchengladbach forward Luuk de Jong, while Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier is also rumoured to be on his radar.