Niels Nkounkou joins Nice from Frankfurt in season-long loan switch

French-Congolese left-back Niels Nkounkou has joined Nice from Eintracht Frankfurt on loan, completing a move that brings the 25-year-old back to Ligue 1.

Nkounkou’s loan runs until 30 June 2027, with Nice taking the defender from the Bundesliga club for the 2026-27 season. The move places him in Ligue 1 after a campaign in Italy with Torino, where he spent the 2025-26 season on loan from Frankfurt.

The 1.80m full-back returned to Frankfurt when that temporary spell ended on 30 June 2026. He then moved to Nice on 1 September, beginning another loan spell away from the German side.

Nkounkou joined Frankfurt from Saint-Etienne in September 2023 in a permanent transfer worth €7.5m. Before that move, he had spent the 2022-23 season with Saint-Etienne on loan from Everton before making his switch to the French club permanent for €2m in July 2023.

His route to Frankfurt followed a period with Everton, who signed him from Marseille B for €270,000 in July 2020. Nkounkou subsequently gained experience on loan at Standard Liege and Cardiff before returning to Everton, with the temporary move to Saint-Etienne following in January 2023.

The defender began his senior career with Marseille B after progressing through the club’s under-19 side. Earlier in his development, he represented youth teams at Stade Brest, Entente SSG, Cergy FC and FC Rouen.

Nkounkou is a left-footed defender whose primary position is left-back. He holds French and Congolese nationality and was born in Pontoise on 1 November 2000.

The move gives Nkounkou another spell in France after his time at Saint-Etienne, while Nice add a player with experience in France, Germany and Italy to their squad. His transfer to the Ligue 1 club was completed on 1 September 2026, with the loan agreement scheduled to end the following June.