French left-back Melvin Bard, 25, may leave Nice for England, and both Leeds and West Ham have shown strong interest in the player. It has been reported that Bard's potential departure has prompted Nice to prioritize finding a replacement, and the club is now taking specific steps to sign Niels Nkounkou from Eintracht Frankfurt. Bard, who has one cap for France's U23 team, joined his current club in July 2021 and has a contract that runs until June 2028. While his current Transfermarkt valuation is €10.00m, Nice reportedly set an asking price of €35 million for the player in July 2025.