Ramsey says he would be happy to stay in Nice

Veteran Wales international Aaron Ramsey said on Thursday he was hoping to extend his stay with French Ligue 1 side Nice.

“It’s a club that’s going in the right direction and this season we’ve taken a step forward,” he told a press conference ahead of Saturday’s home game against Rennes.

“From my personal point of view we’ll be in discussions at the end of the season.”

Ramsey, who is 32, has made 33 appearances in all competitions since joining the Riviera club on a free transfer last summer after an injury-hit time at Juventus.

Ramsey has 80 Wales caps. When he joined the Turin giants he was reportedly the highest-paid British player.

Nice’s season has run out of steam. They were beaten in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals by Basel after extra time in the second leg and slipped to ninth in Ligue 1, out of touch with the European places.

“In spells we’ve seen this season what this team is capable of. Now it’s just a question of getting consistency,” said Ramsey.

Nice have been owned since 2019 by English billionaire Jim Ratcliffe who has brought in several other Premier League veterans including Ross Barkley and Kasper Schmeichel.

“Football-wise it’s a great club and everything is going in the right direction,” said Ramsey.

“I feel very comfortable at the moment, playing games, having opportunities, the coach has been great with me, giving me a few days off here and there to go back and see my family and things like that.”

Ramsey said that if he stays in Nice he would consider bringing his family over from Britain.

“Difficult to get that balance right,” he said. “Definitely something we’ll look into.”