BUT ... Joe Kinnear told the media last month: "We will not be selling ANY player in the transfer window!"
When a deal had been done with the Frenchman.
And what did Alan Pardew know about it? Just like the sale of Andy Carroll, he believed the player had a genuine chance of staying at the club.
A spokesman said: "Newcastle United have benefited significantly from Yohan's talents since his arrival from Lille in the summer of 2011, and the player has likewise benefited, developing hugely during his time on Tyneside.
"The club wanted to keep him but the lure of Champions League football and the prospect of being involved in the sporting project at PSG was an opportunity that Yohan made very clear to us he wanted to take.
"Yohan leaves the club with our best wishes for his future at PSG and, hopefully, as part of the French national squad for this summer's World Cup."