QPR sign France striker Remy

QPR have completed the signing of France striker Loic Remy from Marseille for an undisclosed club-record fee on a four-and-a-half year deal.



The 26-year-old has penned a contract until summer 2017 at Loftus Road after choosing the Barclays Premier League basement boys over Newcastle.



Hoops boss Harry Redknapp told QPR's official website: "I'm delighted to bring him in - he's a great buy for us."



The official fee for the 26-year-old has not been disclosed, but it is reported to be in the region of £8million.



Redknapp added: "I didn't think we'd get him to be honest but (chairman) Tony Fernandes worked ever so hard on this. He wouldn't give up on it, and it's great that we now have him here with us.



"He's always been a player I've admired. I've watched him on so many occasions throughout the last few years. I actually spent three or four hours with him last year so he knew what I thought of him, and I think that was important.



"He's quick, can score goals and makes great runs. His movement is excellent. He's got the potential to be a really outstanding striker."



Remy, who has four goals in 17 caps for France, is eligible to make his Rangers debut against West Ham Saturday, subject to receiving international clearance.



He said: "Harry played a big part in me coming here. I spoke to him and Tony Fernandes at length and they made it clear they wanted me here. They gave me the right motivation to join QPR.



"I want to develop my game here. This season the objective is to stay up but beyond that we have greater objectives.



"After seven years in France, this is the right time for me to pursue a new challenge in the Premier League - the best League in the world.



"I am confident I can adapt to the Premier League. My main characteristics have taken me to the level I am at today but I am keen to keep improving in the Premier League."

Marseille sign Foued Kadir from Valenciennes

Marseille have completed the signing of midfielder Foued Kadir from Valenciennes for a cut-price deal of 500,000 euros.



The former Cannes and Amiens creator only had six months remaining on his contract, enabling Ligue 1's third-placed team to secure the player for a nominal fee.



Kadir, 29, will provide competition for the likes of Mathieu Valbuena and Andre Ayew when he returns from international duty with Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations.



"Selected with Algeria for the 2013 Cup of Nations in South Africa, the new recruit will temporarily leave Marseille in January, but he participated in his first practice session on Wednesday," the club announced on their official website.



Kadir has played 82 Ligue 1 games and enjoyed a productive first half of the season, scoring six goals and making seven assists for Valenciennes.



He has reportedly signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with Marseille.

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Loic Remy has hinted he would welcome a move to Newcastle in January.



- Tottenham's hopes of making a January move for Dutch striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel have been dashed after the player's agent said it was 'virtually impossible' for him to leave Sporting Lisbon.



- Tottenham and Liverpool are weighing up a summer move for Real Madrid forward Jose Callejon, according to reports in Italy.



- Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, has been sent home by the Italian club ahead of schedule, and according to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Red Devils and Tottenham will battle for the former Real Madrid midfielder's signature in January.



- Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Blackpool starlet Thomas Ince in a £4million deal, according to the Liverpool Echo.



- According to the BBC Sport, Raheem Sterling has reached an agreement in principle with Liverpool over a new contract.



- Liverpool and AC Milan target Lucas Biglia has been told he can leave Anderlecht if they offer £8.35m.



- Jack Wilshire, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson have all signed new long-term contracts with Arsenal.



- Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will demand to become Arsenal’s best-paid player if he is to join the Gunners next month.



- Seamus Coleman is on the verge of signing a new contract at Goodison Park, according to his agent.



- Sky Sports understands a host of clubs are weighing up moves for Tottenham winger David Bentley when the transfer window opens next month.



- Fulham have recalled David Stockdale from his loan at Hull City following an injury to back-up goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.



- AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has confirmed receiving a bid from an unnamed club for striker Alexandre Pato, as Robinho edges towards a January return to Brazil.



- Nene is confident he can come to an agreement with Paris St Germain which will allow him to leave the club before the remaining six months of his contract.



- Germany international Thomas Muller has agreed a two-year contract extension with Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.



- Juventus are emerging as shock contenders for Celtic hotshot Gary Hooper.



- Salomon Kalou is considering a return to England with Lille ready to sell in January.



- Birmingham City have revealed Papa Bouba Diop has signed a new one-month contract extension at St Andrew's.



- Watford striker Britt Assombalonga has extended his loan deal with Southend until the end of the season.



- Bristol City youngster Wes Burns has signed a two-and-a-half year professional contract with the Championship club.



- Aberdeen have announced that up-and-coming midfielder Nicky Low has signed a new contract with the club.



- Rangers chief executive Charles Green has pledged to hand boss Ally McCoist up to £30m for new signings when the club's transfer embargo is lifted.

Barton wants Marseille stay

Joey Barton believes he will not return to Queens Park Rangers if they are relegated, while he has also opened talks about extending his stay at Marseille.

Barton, 30, is currently on loan at the French club until the end of the season, when he will be due to return to west London.

But the midfielder feels he is more likely to be playing his football at Stade Velodrome than Loftus Road next season.

"For me to be part of the side that stayed up and not be part of the side that went down, it would be difficult for me to go back," Barton said. "I haven't closed my mind to it although I would really like to stay here.

"I'm in a good space mentally. I've held preliminary talks with Marseille about extending my stay here. They have asked me whether I would stay beyond the loan period.

"The likelihood is, unless there is a massive turnaround in fortunes, QPR will be in the Championship next season. What it seems to me as a neutral - and I am in France, no matter that I am contracted - is that they have got a big case of a lot of good individuals, a lot of good quality individuals, but not a good team."

Barton, who still has two years left on his QPR contract, moved to Marseille after being banned for 12 matches by the Football Association for his violent conduct against Manchester City on the final day of last season.

"It didn't end in great circumstances in west London for me," Barton said. "I know there has been a change in terms of the management structure, but something like that, and what goes on around that, lives with you beyond a managerial change."

That managerial change has seen Harry Redknapp come in to replace the sacked Mark Hughes and Barton believes that Redknapp has the experience to give the club a fighting chance of staying up.

"Harry Redknapp's record speaks for itself," he said. "This time last year he was being talked about as the only successor to Fabio Capello. He has always done well with players and always got players on board. He is a really good man-manager.

"If anyone can pull the players together, a manager of Redknapp's calibre is capable of that. They are in with a good chance now with Harry there."

QPR are currently bottom of the Premier League table, eight points adrift of safety, having still yet to record a win this season.

Monday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Marseille have rubbished suggestions they could land former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba on loan.



- Newcastle could miss out on top target Mathieu Debuchy as Juventus are ready to enter the race to sign him.



- Liverpool chairman Tom Werner insists the Reds have no intention of selling Luis Suarez.



- Liverpool are trying to strike a deal with Sporting Lisbon for Jeffren Suarez, according to talkSPORT.



- Liverpool have contacted Chelsea about Daniel Sturridge's availability as they aim to make an immediate mark in the January window, according to Dailymail.



- Raheem Sterling is set to sign a new long-term contract at Liverpool, according to manager Brendan Rodgers.



- Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits he would like Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo to return to the club, but admits the Portugal international is "unbuyable".



- Manchester United are keen on signing Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender next year, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Rio Ferdinand's 10-year career at Manchester United could end this summer when his contract expires after revealing to friends there is a 'big chance' he will be leaving.



- Manchester City could be encouraged to make a summer move for Stevan Jovetic after Fiorentina revealed their intention to "evaluate" his situation at the end of the season.



- Manchester City officials are set to fly to Croatia later this week to broker a deal with Dinamo Zagreb for wonderkid Alen Halilovic.



- Fernando Torres is facing the embarrassment of being axed for Chelsea's Champions League clash against Juventus as it emerges he wants to move back to Spain, according to Dailymail.



- Porto striker Jackson Martinez, who has been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool, has admitted to Ojogo that he is pleased his performances have been noticed by some of Europe's biggest clubs.



- Barcelona are prepared to cool their interest in Gareth Bale because they believe the Tottenham winger will join Real Madrid should he move to Spain, according to the Sunday Mirror.



- Scottish giant Celtic could be welcoming a new investor in the near future. The rapper formerly known as Snoop Dogg (he now calls himself Snoop Lion) has expressed an interest in acquiring a stake in the team and sitting on the club's board.



- Championship side Charlton have signed highly-rated Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong on loan until January 1.



- Portsmouth have re-signed Ricardo Rocha on a one-month deal, subject to Football Association clearance.

Barton: FA have a vendetta against me

Joey Barton has launched a new attack on the “sad little men” he says are running the Football Association and accused them of engaging in a vendetta against him.



He vented his spleen on Twitter after learning that the first game Olympique Marseille played – against Rennes on Sept 2 – after he moved to France on loan from Queens Park Rangers does not count towards the 12-match ban he is serving for violent conduct on the final day of the last Premier League season at Eastlands.



Barton left QPR on Aug 31 but he claimed on Thursday night that the FA “couldn’t be bothered” registering the move until Sept 3 or 4. It means that the former England international cannot play for Marseille at Bordeaux on Saturday as he had been expecting.



“So my 12-match ban is now a 13-match ban,” he tweeted. “You gotta love the English FA. Well, no actually, you don’t! Ban has been extended as when I signed for Marseille on Friday 31st, the English FA where [sic] closed over the weekend and couldn’t be bothered ... registering me until the 3/4th.



“It’s so ludicrous a decision it’s like they have some hidden agenda/vendetta against me? Oh, ---- yeah I forgot, they actually do. I know who you are. You know who you are. Would I swap with you? Nope £sadlittlemen.”



It is understood, however, that it is normal for international clearance to take additional time because of the additional number of associations involved, particularly if a weekend intervenes.



There will also be surprise that Barton and Marseille were apparently not aware of the situation when he moved to France at the end of the transfer window.