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Martin completes Lille move

Image: Marvin Martin: Has joined Lille from Sochaux until 2017

Lille have won the race to sign highly-rated midfielder Marvin Martin from Sochaux on a deal which will keep him at the club until 2017.

French club beat off competition to sign Sochaux man

Lille have won the race to sign highly-rated midfielder Marvin Martin from Sochaux on a deal which will keep him at the Stade Metropole until 2017. Martin, currently on international duty with France at Euro 2012, joins for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of €8-10million. The midfielder was believed to have attracted interest from a host of European suitors this summer, with Arsenal and Tottenham thought to be keen on the Frenchman. Lyon, Valencia and Borussia Dortmund were also understood to have the 24-year-old on their radar but Lille have beaten them to the punch. The Ligue 1 club confirmed the signing on their official website on Wednesday. Martin, who came through the youth ranks at Sochaux, says the prospect of playing UEFA Champions League football was one of the things that attracted him to Lille. The club finished third in the league last year and enter the tournament at the play-off stage.

Ambitious

He said: "I'm really happy. I wanted to sign for Lille because it is an ambitious club that has interested me for a long time. "There is also the ambition to play in the next Champions League. I look forward to the play-offs because I have not had the chance to participate in this competition. "Lille is a great team, arguably one of the best in the game. That is certainly what I thought when I've faced them in previous seasons. "And I like them a lot because they practise a style of play focused on attack, which suits me. I hope to bring my expertise, but also to continue to learn."

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