Newcastle United confirm Islam Slimani loan deal

Newcastle United have confirmed the signing of Islam Slimani on loan from Leicester City until the end of the season.

The 29-year-old becomes the Magpies' second signing of the January transfer window after Kenedy, who has also joined the club on a temporary basis for the remainder of the campaign.

Slimani arrives at St James' Park having struggled to nail down a regular starting role at Leicester since his club-record move in summer 2016, starting only two Premier League games for the club this season.

"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," Slimani told the club'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."

Manager Rafael Benitez added: "Slimani is a player with experience in the Premier league, and obviously we were looking for that.

"He is a player who can fight with defenders, challenge and score goals. Hopefully he can give us some experience and some different characteristics to the strikers that we have at the moment."

Slimani could make his Newcastle debut when the Magpies take on Crystal Palace on Sunday.