West Ham and Bournemouth target Terem Moffi signs for Nice

Ligue 1 Nice have beaten West Ham and Bournemouth with the signing of striker Terem Moffi.

West Ham held talks with Lorient over a £25m deal, while Bournemouth owner Bill Foley was keen to lure Moffi to the Vitality Stadium but neither club managed to convince him.

The 23-year-old is now on loan at Nice until the end of the season, and the French side are obliged to sign him permanently in the summer.

Terem Moffi chose to join Nice over West Ham and Bournemouth

Confirming the news on his official website on Tuesday afternoon, Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivère said: “We are delighted that Terem’s determination to sign for OGC Nice, combined with our own, has led to this result”.

‘The support of our owner was also invaluable. It is an investment that matches our ambitions.’

Sporting director Florent Ghisolfi added: “When it comes to the ideas we want to implement and the identity we want to establish, he is the ideal striker.”

‘Terem is capable of playing with his back to the goal and running backwards. He is a modern striker, very fast and very powerful. He has experience, and he fights for the team.

Terem Moffi has scored 12 goals in 18 games in Ligue 1 this season

‘He is capable of running race after race, always keeping a cool head inside the box. In Ligue 1, he has already set the tone.

“A new milestone awaits him in Nice, where he will be able to play in Europe for the first time in the spring and will be one of the key men in achieving the club’s lofty goals.”

Moffi has had a remarkable campaign in France, scoring 12 goals in 18 league games for Lorient.

West Ham had hoped to add him to their ranks after new signing Danny Ings was injured on his club debut against Everton last week.

Bournemouth were also optimistic of getting a deal on the line, but will now have to turn their attention elsewhere for a goal-scoring striker to keep them in the top flight.