NEWCASTLE UNITED have confirmed they have taken their summer spending towards the £50m barrier by landing exciting French forward Florian Thauvin.

The 22-year-old has completed a medical on Tyneside and signed a five-year deal - on the same day compatriot Remy Cabella trained with Marseille after agreeing to leave the Magpies after a frustrating 12 months.

Cabella’s frustrations are over after scoring just once in his 34 appearances for the club as he struggled to live up to his reputation as one of his country’s hottest prospects.

He has gone initially on a season-long loan although he could join his boyhood club permanently next summer for £6.5m.

Newcastle hope to have given Steve McClaren’s own attacking plans a real boost by securing the signature of Thauvin after successfully emerging from a day of tests and final negotiations.

Thauvin, who it is claimed has moved to Newcastle without the permission of his registered agent, said: "I am delighted to be a Newcastle United player. I have come from France to a really big club and am very happy to be here.

"It is a big honour to know that Newcastle have been after me for such a long time and that they wanted me that much.

"They have put their trust in me and I am looking forward to playing for the team."

The former Lille man, who has been on chief scout Graham Carr’s radar since making his debut for Grenoble in 2011 before progressing to Bastia, is viewed to have the attacking quality and style to suit McClaren’s way of doing things.

He will provide a better option down the flanks, where Gabriel Obertan and Moussa Sissoko have operated in the opening two fixtures, and he is also capable of playing behind the striker in the role currently occupied by £14.5m man Georginio Wijnaldum.

McClaren told the club website: "Florian is a player the club have been watching for a long time and I am delighted that we have been able to sign him.

"He is a perfect signing for this club - someone who is young, with great potential and is one of the best young players in Europe.

"He is an exciting, creative talent who can score goals and make assists, and we believe he will have a very bright future at Newcastle."

Together with the purchases of £12m striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and £8m defender Chancel Mbemba, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has given the go-ahead for a first spending spree under McClaren to hit close to the £50m mark.

And while there is still the possibility for more departures – with the likes of Cheik Tiote, Papiss Cisse and Sissoko all interesting clubs ahead of the transfer window closing next week – Ashley is understood to be prepared for a further more defensive incoming transfer with Monaco’s £12m-rated Aymen Abdennour regularly linked.

But, barring a possible sale of Cisse, Newcastle’s moves to strengthen their attacking ranks will effectively come to an end after Thauvin’s arrival in the North-East.

The challenge facing McClaren will be to try to get the youngster back to the sort of form which persuaded Marseille to pay 15m euros to Lille for him, at a time when Newcastle were put off by the price-tag.

It was around that time when Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed his admiration for Thauvin.

He said: “We were following him and we were interested before he joined Lille. For me he is one of the big prospects in French football. He will go higher. His progress will now not only depend on his talent but his mentality.”