OGC Nice have announced the signing of Atalanta forward Jeremie Boga.
The Ligue 1 club have parted ways with around €18 million to capture Boga’s signature, with the Ivorian forward signing a long-term contract.
The 26-year-old winger departs Atalanta just 12 months after joining the Serie A side on a permanent transfer from Sassuolo.
Nice manager Francesco Farioli is a huge fan of Boga, having worked with the forward at Sassuolo when he was an assistant to Roberto De Zerbi.
The Italian manager has now added Boga to his ranks, with the winger hoping to put last season’s disappointment behind him as he begins a new chapter in his career at the Allianz Riviera.
Atalanta forked out €22m to sign Boga from Sassuolo last summer, but the former Chelsea academy player failed to justify his price tag at the Gewiss Stadium.
He registered just two goals and five assists in 25 appearances across all competitions for La Dea last season.
Despite his paltry statistics, Nice will hope the Ivory Coast international forward can fire them toward the European places following their ninth-place finish in Ligue 1 last term.
Boga becomes Nice’s third signing of the summer transfer window following the arrivals of Terem Moffi from Lorient and Morgan Sanson, who will spend the coming season on loan from Aston Villa.
Boga is familiar with the French top flight, having spent one year on loan at Stade Rennais during the 2015/16 campaign when the player was still a part of Chelsea’s academy.
“I felt it was time for me to come back to France and, in France, the project that excited me was that of OGC Nice,” Boga said.
“I am completely in phase with the discourse given to me by the leaders. The discussions I was able to have with Francesco Farioli, whom I knew very well in Sassuolo, confirmed my choice.
“The club is ambitious, and so am I. I come to perform very quickly and to help the team to go as high as possible.”
