Newcastle have announced they have signed Leicester striker Islam Slimani on loan for the remainder of the season.
The Algeria international has been heavily linked with a January move away from the King Power Stadium all month but his chances of leaving appeared over after Leonardo Ulloa re-joined Brighton at the start of the week.
Leicester were adamant that only one striker would leave the club this month but Newcastle have successfully managed to prise Slimani to St. James’ Park, fending off competition from West Ham.
Rafa Benitez has been desperate to bolster his offensive options this month and turned to Slimani after Daniel Sturridge opted to join West Brom rather than the Magpies.
"It's a great thing for me and for Newcastle. I'm happy to be here. Hopefully I can come here and be able to give them a hand," he told Newcastle's official website.
"Knowing the power of the fans and crowd here and how great they are, and also speaking to the manager, it gave me the confidence that this was the right choice."
It caps a remarkable decline for Slimani, who has been nothing short of a disaster since becoming Leicester’s club-record signing in 2016.
Claude Puel’s side spent £30m to sign the 29-year-old from Sporting 18 months ago but the Algerian only managed to net eight league goals in 35 appearances for the Foxes.
