Barton seals Marseille deal

Queens Park Rangers outcast Joey Barton has completed his move to French side Marseille on a season-long loan.

Ex-England midfielder join French side until end of the season

Queens Park Rangers outcast Joey Barton has completed his move to French side Marseille on a season-long loan. The 29-year-old midfielder has been in the south of France over the past couple of days trying to seal a protracted deal with the Ligue 1 leaders. The move, which was first mooted almost a fortnight ago, was finally announced just minutes before Friday's 11pm transfer deadline. Speaking on his Twitter account, Barton said: "I am now a player for L'OM. What a birthday present! Cannot wait to get going. "I would also like to thank Tony Fernandes [QPR chairman] and Amit Bhatia [QPR vice-chairman] for making this possible. Good luck to everyone at QPR for this season." Liverpool-born Barton always looked to be heading out of the Loftus Road exit door after being stripped of the club captaincy and his squad number by manager Mark Hughes. He was handed a 12-match ban by the Football Association for his sending-off and subsequent violent conduct against former club Manchester City on the final day of last season.