Lyon complete £27m signing of Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate as centre-back agrees four-year deal with French side

Lyon have signed defender Moussa Niakhate from Nottingham Forest in a £27m deal.

The Senegal international, 28, has signed a four-year deal and the sale sees Forest make a £14.3m profit on the player they signed two years ago.

A club statement read: ‘Moussa Niakhate has joined Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais on a permanent transfer.

‘The 28-year-old joined Forest from Mainz 05 in July 2022 having been captain for the German side, making 128 appearances in the Bundesliga.

‘The defender went on to make 37 appearances across his two seasons at Forest, twice helping the team consolidate in the Premier League after a 23-year absence.

‘Niakhate also made his debut for the Senegal national team while with The Reds, starting for the Lions of Teranga at the Africa Cup of Nations, receiving five caps for his country and only previously missing out on a place at World Cup 2022 through injury.

We wish Moussa all the best for the future and thank him for his contributions during his time at the Club.’

In a post on social media, Niakhate wrote: ‘Thank you for making me feel at home from day one. I always felt your love and support every time I stepped onto the pitch, but what’s crazy is that I felt it more during my most difficult moments, particularly my injury. 

‘That was the most difficult moment of my career but everyone at Forest from the staff to my teammates and the fans gave me something to smile about every day and I will never forget this.

‘In the end we have always achieved our objectives thanks to the combativeness and determination of the players and staff who were present during the return of this historic club to the elite. We experienced difficult moments together but also exceptional moments of joy at our famous City Ground and I am happy…