Terem Moffi: West Ham, Aston Villa, Lazio at alert as Porto and Nice fail to agree deal

1 hour ago 1

ARTICLE AD BOX

Portuguese giants FC Porto have decided not to activate the €8 million buy option for Nigerian striker Terem Moffi after his difficult loan spell from OGC Nice, Afrik-Foot reports.

The decision has now placed the Super Eagles forward back on the transfer market ahead of the summer window, with clubs in England and Italy already monitoring developments closely.

Reports in Portugal claim Porto initially tried to renegotiate a lower fee with Nice after the end of Moffi’s half-season stay at the Estádio do Dragão. However, talks eventually broke down, with the club unwilling to commit to the agreed €8 million clause.

Moffi’s time in Portugal never truly settled. The 26-year-old managed only two goals and one assist in 15 appearances for Porto, with most of his minutes coming from the bench.

Porto president André Villas-Boas is already planning a major attacking rebuild as the club prepares for a return to the UEFA Champions League next season.

According to reports from A Bola via OneFootball, Porto have now shifted their attention towards signing two new forwards instead of pursuing a permanent move for Moffi.

The collapse of the deal leaves the Nigerian international in a difficult position because his relationship with Nice supporters also deteriorated badly before his move to Portugal.

Nice co-president Maurice Cohen had previously made the club’s stance clear, saying: “They will not return to Nice, whether their buy options are triggered or not.”

That statement followed an ugly incident in late 2025 when angry supporters reportedly confronted Moffi on the team bus after a disappointing run of results.

Terem Moffi, wanted by Premier League, Serie A clubs

Despite his difficult recent months, Moffi still carries strong value across Europe because of his impressive scoring record in France.

During his five seasons in Ligue 1 with FC Lorient and Nice, the Nigerian striker scored 54 league goals and produced 11 assists in 148 appearances. His performances convinced Nice to pay a club-record €30 million package to sign him permanently in January 2023.

Moffi first exploded onto the Ligue 1 scene after joining Lorient from Belgian side KV Kortrijk in 2020. He scored 14 goals in his debut campaign to help Lorient avoid relegation and later netted 12 goals in the first half of the 2022-23 season, briefly competing with Kylian Mbappé and Neymar near the top of the Ligue 1 scoring charts.

At Nice, he adapted quickly after his record-breaking move, producing nine goals and three assists in his first 20 matches before finishing the 2023-24 campaign as the club’s top scorer with 11 goals.

Now, several clubs are believed to be reconsidering a move because Nice may accept a heavily discounted fee just to remove his wages from the books.

West Ham United remain long-time admirers after previously submitting a £25 million bid in January 2023 when he was viewed as a possible successor to Michail Antonio.

Aston Villa also held discussions with his representatives during that same period, while Italian side SS Lazio continue to monitor his situation as they search for more attacking depth.

French clubs including Olympique de Marseille and Paris FC are also keeping tabs on the striker, while Turkish giants Fenerbahçe have maintained long-standing interest.

With more than half a century goals scored in one of Europe’s top five leagues, Moffi could be set for a new destination this summer.