Lens sign World Cup winner Thauvin from Udinese

French World Cup winner Florian Thauvin returned to Ligue 1 on Friday when Lens confirmed the signing of the 32-year-old attacking midfielder.

"We welcome Florian with immense pleasure and a certain pride, that of seeing a world champion join us," Jean-Louis Leca, the Lens sporting director was quoted as saying on the Lens website, next to a photograph of Thauvin signing a contract.

"Seeing a player of this quality and with this French international status join our project is very positive." 

French media reported that Lens paid Udinese 6 million euros ($7 million) for Thauvin, who signed a contract until 2028. He was welcomed like a rock star by several hundred Lens fans on Tuesday evening at Lille-Lesquin airport.

Thauvin is the third 2018 World Cup winner to return to Ligue 1 this season, after Paul Pogba, who has joined Monaco, and Olivier Giroud, who has signed for Lille. 

Lens finished eighth in Ligue 1 last season.

Thauvin has 10 France caps and made three appearances for France in the 2021 Olympics. 

He started his career at Grenoble, made his Ligue 1 debut with Bastia and played for nearly a decade at Marseille, broken by a two-year period at Newcastle where he would spend much of that time on loan at the Velodrome before making his return permanent. 

Thauvin then spent a season-and-a-half with Tigres in Mexico prior to joining Serie A outfit Udinese in January 2023.