EPL side Newcastle United on Friday said they had finalised the signing of Lille and France defender Mathieu Debuchy for an undisclosed fee.
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The 27 year old, who has played more than 230 times for Ligue 1 side during a 10-year spell, including in their league and cup-winning double year in the 2010 -2011 season, has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract at St James' park.
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'' It is great to become a Newcastle United player '', Debuchy was quoted as saying on the Newcastle Website.
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'' After many years at Lille I felt I was ready for a new challenge and cannot wait to play for such a big club in the best league in the world ''.
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They could also see the departure of Demba Ba after confirmation that the club had given European champions Chelsea permission to the Senegal stricker, who has scored 29 times in 54 appearances since his arrival last season.