Ligue 1: Wesley Sneijder on verge of joining Nice as ambitious French club continue to sign top names

Nice, France: Champions League winner Wesley Sneijder is on the brink of becoming the latest star name to sign for ambitious Ligue 1 outfit Nice after the two parties reached an “agreement in principle” on Sunday. Unfashionable Nice have made a habit of signing top-class talent over the last few seasons, with France international Hatem Ben Arfa, Italian striker Mario Balotelli, Brazilian centre-back Dante and Morocco playmaker Younes Belhanda all joining over the past two years. [caption id=“attachment_3902913” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Wesley Sneijder was released by Turkish club Galatasaray, meaning Nice can sign him for free. Reuters[/caption] Now, 33-year-old Dutch international Sneijder, who won the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010, is set to sign a one-year deal with an option for another year, according to a club source. On Sunday evening, Nice posted on Twitter to say they had reached an “agreement in principle” with the former Real Madrid and Ajax star. They also posted a photo of the player at their club offices and an emoji of two shaking hands. Sneijder, who arrived in Nice at 5pm, will undergo a medical on Monday and could put pen to paper later in the day. The attacking midfielder, who played in the 2010 World Cup final for the Netherlands and has won league titles in four countries, was released by Galatasaray at the end of last season, meaning he is available for free. Nice signed Ben Arfa from Newcastle United in 2015, with the talented playmaker helping them qualify for the Europa League before moving on to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Nice followed that up a year ago by bringing in Balotelli, who won the Champions League alongside Sneijder at Inter, Dante and Belhanda. The latter left to return to Dynamo Kiev, from where he’d been on loan, before signing for Galatasaray – replacing Sneijder.  

Un accord de principe est intervenu ce dimanche entre l'OGC Nice et Wesley Sneijder !🇳🇱 #Mercato #IssaNissa pic.twitter.com/n1H8fWFvTF

— OGC Nice (@ogcnice) August 6, 2017

  Nice finished third in Ligue 1 last season and face a two-legged play-off against Napoli later this month to qualify for the Champions League group stages. On Saturday they lost their opening league match of the season 1-0 to Saint-Etienne.