Fulham win race to sign Jean Michaël Seri from Nice

Fulham have signed Ivory Coast midfielder Jean Michaël Seri on a four-year deal from Nice, the club have confirmed.

Seri made 103 Ligue 1 appearances for Nice during a three-year spell at the club and his performances in 2017-18 attracted interest from Europe's top clubs, including Chelsea and Barcelona.

The 26-year-old scored two goals in 31 league games for Nice last season and found the net once in the Ivory Coast's unsuccessful World Cup qualification campaign.

He expressed his relief at having joined Slavisa Jokanovic's newly promoted side, telling Fulham's official website: "It was great to get the move finalised.

"I'm ready to get started and looking forward to meeting the squad and getting to know them, the head coach and his staff better.

"I'm delighted to be here, it's a new adventure that starts for me and I'm hoping it will all go well."

Fulham also announced the capture of Nice full-back Maxime Le Marchand, subject to clearance from the Premier League, FA and international authorities.

The 28-year-old former Le Havre defender was a regular starter for Nice last season but opted to follow Seri to West London.

He said: "I'm very happy to sign for Fulham. This is a big club that's very popular.

"I'm also happy to have joined up with a good friend, Jean Michael Seri.

"I know that there is a lot of hard work ahead and I hope to bring my very best to this team."