Henrique joins Inter in record Nice deal

ROME: Brazilian defender Dalbert Henrique has earned a transfer record €29 million (RM146 million) for French club Nice after signing a five-year deal with Serie A club Inter Milan on Wednesday.

“It’s a transfer record for Nice,” Nice director general Julien Fournier told AFP.

The 23-year-old left-back joined Nice in July 2016 from Portuguese club Vitoria Guimaraes in a deal estimated at €2 million.

His sale surpasses Nice’s previous record for French midfielder Nampalys Mendy to Leicester City in 2016 estimated at €17 million with French forward Loïc Rémy joining Marseille in 2010 for €15 million.

“We don’t have the commercial resources of big clubs, our development depends on the value and sale of players,” said Fournier.

“Even if on a sporting level we lose a very good player this transfer permits us to recruit like we have done this summer.”

Henrique played 33 matches in Ligue 1 last season as Nice finished a surprise third behind Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain.

Meanwhile, Serie A club Fiorentina announced the signing of midfielders Valentin Eysseric and Marco Benassi from Nice and Torino respectively.

Eysseric, 25, signed a deal until 2021 worth €4 million.

Benassi, 22, a former Italy under-21 international, joined on a five-year contract estimated at €10 million, subject to a medical yesterday. AFP