Fulham sign midfielder Seri from Nice

London, July 12: Fulham, newly promoted to the English Premier League (EPL), on Thursday announced that they have reached an agreement with OGC Nice to sign Ivorian midfielder Jean-Michael Seri for four football seasons. The 26-year-old Seri, who has been linked with a move to European superpowers such as Barcelona, Chelsea, Napoli and Sevilla, signed a contract with Fulham until 2022 with an option to extend it for one more year.

"It was a long day yesterday so it was great to get the move finalized," the Fulham website cited Seri as saying.

"Now, 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," he added.

According to media reports, Fulham will pay Nice around $40 million to buy Seri. Seri started his career at Africa Sports d'Abidjan, before joining ASEC Mimosas, the most decorated Ivorian club. He began his European journey in Portuguese Porto, where he played for one season, before joining Pacos de Ferreira and then eventually OGC Nice. Fulham's general manager and sporting director, Tony Khan, said that he was thrilled to sign Seri, adding that Seri "arrives with Premier League qualities as well as great promise for the future, which is why he has been at the very top of our target list for a long time."

Seri is Fulham's third summer signing, following Finland's Terry Ablade and France's Maxime Le Marchand. IANS