Last Updated: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:39
Montpellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is set to arrive in Newcastle for a medical before completing a £6.7million move.
Newcastle have agreed the fee with the French side and should wrap up the formalities of the deal in the next 24 hours once the player has arrived in Tyneside.
There had been suggestions that Arsenal could make a late move to hijack the transfer but there appears to be little truth in the rumours and the 23-year-old will sign on the dotted line barring any late setbacks.
The move has not gone down well with Montpellier president Louis Nicollin, who has criticised the player and says it is a bad move for him.
"If he's an ass, it's not my fault, but I think his manager has a lot to do with it," he told L'Équipe. "Newcastle really isn't a good choice. He'll get himself moved on next year, but it doesn't bother me.
"He agreed with my son (Laurent, Montpellier's delegated president) that he could leave if he found a club he liked.
"We're not going to cry. His head was no longer at Montpellier, but it's not a problem. He's not irreplaceable. The important thing is that we get some money in."
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