Nantes exercise permanent purchase option for Nigerian internationl Simon

PARIS -- Ligue 1 club Nantes confirmed on Monday that they had signed on-loan Nigerian winger Moses Simon on a four-year contract.

It was reported that the purchase option was 500,000 euros.

The 24-year-old Simon arrived in Nantes last summer on a one-year loan from Spanish side Levante. He has proved himself in the past curtailed season, scoring nine goals and contributed eight assists in 30 appearances for the western French club.

"He's quick and very strong technically. He's also terrific on the counter. He's a horror for defenses," Nantes coach Christian Gourcuff said of Simon, who was voted player of the season by the club's supporters.

Simon has capped for Nigeria since 2015 and scored five goals in 30 appearances.

Nantes was at the 13th place when the French football season was abandoned in late April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Paris Saint-Germain was declared champions for the third consecutive year.

The 2020-2021 season of Ligue 1 is scheduled to start on the weekend of Aug 22-23.