City complete deal for Lees-Melou

Lees-Melou, who was vice-captain at Nice, has signed a three-year contract through to the summer of 2024.

The 28-year-old central midfielder arrives in Norfolk with an abundance of top-flight experience in France.

Across spells with Dijon FCO and Nice, Lees-Melou has 150 Ligue 1 appearances to his name, as well as experience in the Europa League and Champions League.

Over the course of 2020/21 season, Lees-Melou captained the Nice side on 16 occasions, making a total of 33 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals.

Speaking to canaries.co.uk, Lees-Melou said: “I’m very excited to join Norwich City and discover my new future with the club and its fans. I can’t wait to play football in Norwich colours.

“I spoke with Daniel [Farke] and Stuart [Webber]. We had a very long conversation about football and the vision for the team. I’ve heard a lot about how Norwich plays football in the right manner and style and also the club’s spirit and mentality. I love that and that got me very excited.

“I also spoke with Morgan Schneiderlin and Yoann Barbet about football in England. They spoke very highly of Norwich and the club’s position and standing.

“I appreciate the opportunity in this club and wanted to get the move sorted and start quickly. I’m excited to discover a new country, language and play in the biggest league in the world.”

Norwich City head coach Daniel Farke said: “We’re delighted to have been able to sign a player like Pierre. There are a lot of things to like about him and his football qualities.

“He’s a really good technical player and is very good with the ball. He also has the physical ability every game to cover lots of ground and can play many positions and roles.

“His CV, age and experience are very good. He has played for a big club in Nice, in pressure situations with some talented players. He has played a lot of football in recent years, so is in a good rhythm and full of confidence.

“We think Pierre will help us in the Premier League. He has a great character and personality. It is not a coincidence and is always a good sign when a player is allowed to wear the captain’s armband at such a big club like Nice.

“In our communication we all got the feeling that he is desperate to come to Norwich. He’s an intelligent and humble guy and is greedy to work and improve on this level.”

The transfer is subject to international clearance and approval from the regulatory governing bodies.