FILE - Udinese's French forward #26 Florian Thauvin fights for the ball with Inter Milan's Brazilian defender #30 Carlos Augusto during the Italian Serie A football match between Inter Milan and Udinese at the "San Siro Stadium" in Milan, on December 9, 2023. Photo: AFP
"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.
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