West Ham and Bournemouth target Terem Moffi to sign for Nice

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

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

The 23-year-old is now on loan at Nice until the end of the season and the French are committed to signing him on a permanent basis in the summer.

Terem Moffi opted for Nice over West Ham and Bournemouth

Nice President Jean-Pierre Rivère confirmed the news on their official website on Tuesday afternoon, saying: “We are delighted that Terem’s determination to sign for OGC Nice, together with our own, has led to this result.

“The support from our owner was also invaluable. It is an investment in line with our ambitions.’

Sporting director Florent Ghisolfi added: “In terms of the ideas we want to implement and the identity we want to build, he is the ideal striker.

‘Terem is able to play with his back to the goal and run after it. He’s 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’s able to keep run after run while always keeping a cool head in the pits. He has already set standards in Ligue 1.

“A new milestone awaits him in Nice, where he will make his European debut in the spring and will be one of the key men driving the club’s ambitious goals.”

Moffi has had an outstanding season 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 picked up an injury on his debut for the club against Everton last week.

Bournemouth were also optimistic about getting a deal across the line but must now focus on finding a striker elsewhere to score the goals to keep them in the top flight.