Premier League target Plea: I’m leaving Nice in the summer

Nice striker Alassane Plea has confirmed that he is likely to depart the club in the summer.

The 24-year-old former Lyon youth has scored 14 goals in Ligue 1 this season, bouncing back impressively after suffering a serious knee injury towards the end of the 2016-17 campaign.

A number of Premier League clubs have been linked with the forward, including Everton, West Ham and Newcastle, but Plea said at the beginning of April that he had received contact from an unnamed club in Spain, thought to be Valencia.

“There have been talks and I don’t think that next year I’ll be here any longer,” he told Canal+ after the weekend’s 4-1 home win over Caen, which keeps Nice’s aspirations of reaching the Europa League burning.

Previously, he had told Marca: “I know there’s been interest from Spain with teams that have been following my progress and watching me. Moreover, La Liga is a league that’s very technical and is suited to attackers.”

Article continues below

[embedded content]

Nice will also lose 18-goal top Ligue 1 scorer Mario Balotelli this summer, with the Italy international set to depart on a free transfer after two years at the club.

Head coach Lucien Favre has been linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund.

The Allianz Riviera side need to win at Lyon next weekend to secure a place in Europe next season, though their hosts require three points to seal a spot in the Champions League.

Let’

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.