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Marseille sign France starlets Thauvin and Lemina

Olympique de Marseille have signed two midfielders from France's FIFA U-20 World Cup-winning squad: FC Lorient's Mario Lemina and Florian Thauvin from LOSC Lille.

Exciting prospect Florian Thauvin has inked a five-year deal at OM
Exciting prospect Florian Thauvin has inked a five-year deal at OM ©AFP/Getty Images

Olympique de Marseille have confirmed the signing of attacking midfielder Florian Thauvin and FC Lorient's Mario Lemina, both 20 and members of France's FIFA U-20 World Cup-winning squad in July, on five-year deals.

The highly-rated Thauvin joins from Ligue 1 rivals LOSC Lille for a reported €15m fee, following a path trodden previously this transfer window by France international winger Dimitri Payet. Central midfielder Lemina arrives from Lorient for an undisclosed sum, with Rafidine Abdullah going the other way and fellow midfielder Larry Azouni joining them on loan.

Thauvin joined LOSC in January after an impressive 18 months at SC Bastia. He never made an appearance for Les Dogues, however, as he was loaned back to the Corsican outfit for the remainder of the 2012/13 season. He ultimately managed ten goals in 32 league outings last term.

"We are obviously very pleased to have found a positive outcome to these long talks with Lille," OM president Vincent Labrune told the club's official website. "More importantly, we are delighted that Florian could bring his talent to our team. He has all the quality to win the hearts of our fans."

Marseille, runners-up in Ligue 1 last season, take on Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal FC and SSC Napoli in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage.

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