Queens Park Rangers are close to completing the £8m signing of Loic Remy after hijacking Newcastle’s move for the France striker.
The 26-year-old had been due to arrive on Tyneside for talks on Sunday night but did not appear.
QPR matched Marseille’s asking price and have now offered Remy a more lucrative contract, understood to be more than £70,000 per week.
Remy had previously indicated he would not join the Loftus Road club.
As is almost always with these kind of deals, money talks, however it comes as a little surprise as to why Remy would leave Marseille mid-season especially as the club now lies third in the league with potential to win Ligue 1 and qualify for the Champions League, and he’s leaving all that behind to play for the bottom club in the Premier League where the pressure for him to be an immediate success is high.
QPR manager Harry Redknapp believes Remy’s goals may be enough to lift the club away from relegation having scouted the player a number of times this season.
Remy has made 14 Ligue 1 appearances for Marseille this season but only started two games.