Marseille defender may move to Newcastle

Habib Beye should complete his move from Marseille to Newcastle “in the next 24 hours”, according to OM president Pape Diouf.

Diouf confirmed the Mediterranean club had accepted the right-back’s request to quit the Stade Velodrome “on the condition that an agreement is reached between the two clubs”.

“At the moment, we are not too far off,” Diouf said in a statement on OM’s official website www.om.net.

“In the next 24 hours, it could be definitively clinched.”

Beye, who is the captain of OM, has not appeared in Marseille’s first team for their past two Ligue 1 games.

Media reports in France claimed the defender, who was linked with a move to the Magpies during the summer, has already had a medical at St James’ Park.