Nice have moved to secure another product of their academy, handing 18-year-old left-sided player Djelan Morana his first professional contract. The Cagnes-sur-Mer native has signed for three years after already making his Ligue 1 debut this season.
Morana commits to Nice
- Morana joined Nice’s academy at the age of 13 and has developed through the club’s youth ranks.
- The versatile left wing-back impressed during last season’s Coupe Gambardella campaign, which ended for Nice in the quarter-finals.
- He was then given his first taste of Ligue 1 in August, appearing away to Paris FC in a 3-0 defeat.
- Nice confirmed on Thursday that Morana has now signed his first professional deal, keeping him at the club for the next three years.
The left-footer becomes part of Nice’s wider effort to protect the most promising players produced by their training centre. Morana, born on the Côte d’Azur, is viewed as one of the young local talents the club want to develop rather than lose.
Nice focus on academy protection
President Maurice Cohen said Nice intend to provide a clear route for the region’s best young footballers.
“There is talent in Nice, and the best players from the Côte d’Azur must know that we will do everything possible to support them in the best way,” Cohen said.
Further academy contract announcements could follow in the coming weeks as Nice continue their work on tying down young prospects.
