Nice consider move for Frankfurt’s French-Congolese defender Niels Nkounkou

Niels Nkounkou, the French-Congolese left-back at Frankfurt, is being linked with a move to Nice in Ligue 1.

The 25-year-old has returned to the Bundesliga club after spending last season on loan at Torino, where his temporary spell ended on 30 June 2026. He has yet to feature for Frankfurt in the 2026-27 campaign, with the club having played one Bundesliga match and one DFB-Pokal match.

Nkounkou joined Frankfurt from Saint-Etienne in September 2023 after the German club paid a reported €7.5m for his transfer. He was subsequently loaned to Torino for the 2025-26 season, with the Italian club paying a €500,000 loan fee before he returned to Germany.

A move to Nice would represent a return to France for Nkounkou, who began his senior career with Marseille B before later spells with Everton, Standard Liege, Cardiff and Saint-Etienne. He also spent time in the youth systems of clubs including Marseille and Stade Brest.

Nkounkou’s current contract with Frankfurt runs until 30 June 2028. His listed market value is €2.6m, but there is no indication of a fee or advanced negotiations at this stage.