France international midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa has signed a two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain from Ligue 1 rivals Nice, the French champions announced yesterday.
 “Paris Saint-Germain is happy to announce the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa’s contract until June 30, 2018,” the club said on its Twitter account.
 The former Lyon, Marseille and Newcastle winger becomes the club’s first recruit since new Spanish coach Unai Emery replaced Laurent Blanc this week. Both Emery and the gifted Ben Arfa will be officially presented by the club at their Parc des Princes ground on Monday by the club’s Qatari president Nasser al-Khelaifi.
 The 29-year-old Ben Arfa, who missed out on Didier Deschamps’ Euro 2016 squad, is available on a free transfer after his contract with Nice expired this summer.
 “Paris Saint-Germain has always had a special place in my heart and wearing this jersey at the Parc des Princes is a childhood dream,” said Ben Arfa, who comes from Clamart on the outskirts of Paris.
 “I’d like to thank Nice, who enabled me to refind pleasure in playing football and to show the French public what I’m capable of on the pitch,” he added on PSG’s website.
 Ben Arfa moves to the French capital after a 17-goal haul last term which inspired Nice into a club-best third in the table. At Nice, under the south coast club’s then coach Claude Puel, he shed his sometimes badboy image forged by various run-ins with former coaches.
 He had a largely disappointing spell in England with Newcastle and a loan spell with Hull City followed by six months out of the game in 2015 before his career-boosting move to Nice.
 His arrival came the day after PSG’s out-of-contract Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced he was joining Manchester United.
 Ben Arfa is the first signing of new coach Emery, who was named on Tuesday as the man to finally achieve PSG’s long quest for Champions League success. Emery terminated his contract with Sevilla this month, having guided the Spanish side to three successive Europa League titles.
 Ben Arfa signed for the four-time French champions after reported interest from Barcelona, Sevilla, and one of his former teams, Lyon. He made his debut for Lyon at just 17-years-old in 2004 and went on to play 91 times for the club, winning four straight Ligue 1 titles. He moved from there to Marseille in 2008, switching to Newcastle three years later.

Newcastle complete signing of Ritchie from Bournemouth
Newcastle United have completed the signing of midfielder Matt Ritchie on a five-year deal from Premier League side Bournemouth, the Championship club said yesterday.
 The 26-year-old made 42 appearances last season under manager Eddie Howe, playing a key role in ensuring Bournemouth secured their Premier League status after being promoted to the top flight. No financial details of the transfer were disclosed.
 “It’s an unbelievable feeling to come to a football club like this,” Ritchie told Newcastle’s website (www.nufc.co.uk). “It’s fantastic to be here and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of getting the club back in the Premier League.”
 The Scottish international made 142 appearances for the south coast side, helping the club to a double promotion from League One (third-tier) during his three-and-a-half year stay with Bournemouth. The winger becomes manager Rafael Benitez’s third signing of the summer following the arrival of Gent goalkeeper Matz Sels and striker Dwight Gayle from Crystal Palace.
 Striker Callum Wilson has also signed a new four-year deal with Bournemouth, keeping him with the side until 2020, the club said. Injury restricted the 24-year-old to just 13 appearances for Bournemouth last season, after scoring 23 goals in all competitions to help his side secure promotion in the 2014/15 season.
 “Callum has constantly improved during his time here,” Bournemouth’s chief executive Neill Blake told the club’s website (www.afcb.co.uk). “Only his injury stopped him from having a big impact in the Premier League last year, now back to full fitness, we’re excited to see Callum continue to improve over the next four years.”

Crystal Palace sign Townsend, sell Gayle to Newcastle United
Crystal Palace and Newcastle United traded players yesterday, with winger Andros Townsend moving to London for 13 million pounds ($17.3 million) and striker Dwight Gayle joining the recently relegated club for 10 million pounds. Palace also announced the signing of French goalkeeper Steve Mandanda on a free transfer from Olympique Marseille.
 Townsend, who just missed out on inclusion in England’s 23-man squad for Euro 2016, has signed a five-year deal at Selhurst Park, the London club said.
 The 25-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur winger only signed for Newcastle last January in a bid to secure regular first-team football and save the club from relegation from the Premier League. Townsend scored four goals in his 13 appearances at St James’ Park.  “It was a pretty easy decision to choose Crystal Palace because of the direction they’re heading,” he told the Crystal Palace website. “They play a system that suits wingers and you only need to look at Wilfried Zaha, Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon to see how they’ve excelled and how influential they are for Palace. I want to be a part of that and help this club reach its potential.”
 Gayle, 25, has signed a five-year deal. He has been Palace’s top scorer for the past three seasons, netting 25 times despite finding his first-team opportunities restricted at Selhurst Park.

Spain’s Nolito joins Man City, Demichelis prepares to leave
Spanish international forward Nolito has signed for Manchester City from Celta Vigo, the Premier League club confirmed yesterday. The 29-year-old has agreed a four-year contract and becomes new manager Pep Guardiola’s second signing after Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
 It will be the second time both have worked together after Barcelona in 2011, before Nolito joined Benfica.
 “Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world,” Nolito told City’s official website. “He knows a lot about the game and he’s going to help me progress as a player and I’m sure he’ll get the best out of me.
 “I’ll try to bring as much as I possibly can. I’ll do everything that the manager asks of me, try my absolute best and do everything I can to try to repeat the form I’ve shown throughout my career at various clubs. It’s just about trying to play my normal game and let’s hope that I can help Manchester City to win games.”
 Nolito, whose real name is Manuel Agudo Duran and who has been given the number nine shirt, started each of Spain’s four fixtures before their elimination from Euro 2016. During his three seasons at Celta he scored 39 goals in 103 appearances. He will face stiff competition in City with Sergio Aguero expected to remain their first-choice striker, meaning Nolito’s rivals include, among others, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Jesus Navas and Samir Nasri.
 Meanwhile, defender Martin Demichelis left City at the end of his contract. The 35-year-old made 17 starts for City last season as he struggled to make an impact, with former manager Manuel Pellegrini preferring Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi to cover for the injured Vincent Kompany.
 A 2014 World Cup finalist with Argentina, Demichelis was fined $29,000 and warned by the Football Association in May for breaking betting rules. The centre back, who joined from Atletico Madrid in 2013, made 105 appearances for City and was part of the Premier League-winning squad in 2013-14.