Newcastle grab £12m Shelvey

Newcastle United have agreed a £12m fee with Swansea City to sign England midfielder Jonjo Shelvey.

The 23-year-old passed a medical at St James' Park before the deal was completed yesterday between the Premier League relegation rivals.

Shelvey, who signed a four-year Swansea extension in 2015, is the first player to leave since Alan Curtis took charge.

Shelvey becomes Newcastle’s second January signing after Senegal midfielder Henri Saivet's arrival.

The 25-year-old, who played for Senegal at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, joined from Bordeaux on a five-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee after helping the French club win Ligue 1 in 2009.

Shelvey joined Swansea from Liverpool for an initial fee of £5m in July 2013 and helped the Swans to their highest Premier League finish of eighth in the 2014-15 season.

—BBC