One of Ligue 1’s brightest stars, Hatem Ben Arfa, could be heading back to England once again – This time, with English champions Leicester City calling.
The former Newcastle player is set to leave Nice after a successful season, heavily influential in the French club’s 4th place finish in the domestic league, guiding them into the Europa League competition for next season.
However, it is certain that Ben Arfa will not be there, naturally. With the likes of Paris Saint Germain, Sevilla, Fenerbahce, his old club Lyon and even Barcelona reportedly calling for his services on a free transfer, it looks like the 29-year-old is belatedly destined for greener pastures.
Instead, it looks like Premier League champions Leicester City are the front-runners for his signature as confirmed by Lyon president Jean-Pierre Rivere through an interview with Canal Plus.
Breaking | Lyon President Jean Michel Aulas reveals that he has been told that Leicester City are in the lead to sign Hatem Ben Arfa. (C+)
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) June 28, 2016
According to website Goal, the Lyon president had this to say about the player:
"“If he does not come, it will be for reasons that have nothing to do with passion. I believe that it is more Leicester City in terms of the direction he is heading. That is what people have told me who spoke to him on the phone this afternoon.”"
The Frenchman managed an impressive tally of 18 goals and 6 assists in 2015-16, narrowly missing out on the French national squad for Euro 2016 as he stood on Didier Deschamps’ standby list.
If Ben Arfa is in fact seduced by the prospect of playing Champions League football under Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri, there would be no complaints over his choice of preference as the club prepare to defend their domestic crown.
By signing a player of Ben Arfa’s calibre amid interest from Europe’s finest, it would send out a fine message of intent over the club’s recruitment process in purchasing quality and depth 3030to counter a heavy schedule that will involve midweek games.
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The revival story of the winger’s is an inspiring one, having been cast out by Alan Pardew at Newcastle United after having been deemed as not good enough, before a miserable loan spell at Hull City lead to an inevitable release by the Tyneside club.
After a delayed debut combined with a persistence in belief from Nice coach Claude Puel, the two joined together to resuscitate Ben Arfa’s career and the fairy tale continues to live on.
Time will tell over where Ben Arfa will be plying his trade next season. A return to England might perhaps seem like his biggest challenge of his career as he seeks to revisit where football misery landed him before this revival.