According to Le10 Sport, Nice are interested in signing Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham as Patrick Vieira looks to strengthen his squad.
It’s claimed that Nice are pushing for a major midfield addition. Their primary target is Angers star Baptiste Santamaria, but a €15million (£13.5million) price tag could be an issue.
That means they have identified other targets. Chelsea’s Tiemoue Bakayoko and Gustavo Assuncao of Famalicao are targets, as is Ibrahima Diallo of Brest.
One of Vieira’s other targets is Celtic star Ntcham though, as it’s claimed that the Nice boss knows him from their time together at Manchester City.
Vieira coached City’s development squad during Ntcham’s time with the English giants. Vieira seemingly hasn’t forgotten about Ntcham, and now wants him once again.
Ntcham, 24, has often blown hot and cold at Celtic, but when he has been on form, he has shown superb quality on the ball mixed with the athletic ability to be a fine box-to-box midfielder.
The Frenchman – who could turn out for Cameroon – has racked up eight goals and four assists under Neil Lennon this season. In total for Celtic, Ntcham now has 23 goals and 11 assists in 123 appearances.
Celtic would likely demand a high fee for Ntcham, possibly close to what Angers want for Santamaria anyway. With financial backing from INEOS, Nice may be able to make a tempting offer – and the lure of playing for Vieira again could be strong for Ntcham.
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