Parma have confirmed the signing of a reported Newcastle United and Aston Villa target.
The Nice midfielder Wylan Cyprien was said to be interesting both Newcastle (L’Equipe) and Aston Villa (Foot Mercato) – whom it was claimed had offered €17.5 million (around £16m).
Le10Sport later claimed that Cyprien was moving closer to Bordeaux and favoured staying in France.
But the 25-year-old, who scored or assisted 13 goals in 24 games for Nice last season, will now continue his career in Serie A.
Parma say they have agreed an initial loan deal for Cyprien, which will become a permanent, five-year contract ‘if certain conditions are met’.
It was rumoured last week that Parma could pay as little as €6m (around 5.5m) for the former France Under-21 international (Tuttomercatoweb).
Whether either Newcastle or Aston Villa will care too much remains to be seen, with both clubs having now signed central midfielders of their own (Jeff Hendrick and Ross Barkley, respectively) this summer.
Although, at the figures quoted above, Cyprien could have been a worthwhile investment nonetheless.
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