Everton's Niels Nkounkou has joined St Etienne on a permanent contract.

The French team has triggered a buyout clause that was a part of the loan agreement that took Nkounkou to St Etienne in January.

The 22-year-old enjoyed his spell with the Ligue 2 side, with Everton not seeing him as future first team material.

When he was asked about his future a month ago, he said: "I would like to fix myself in a project, not to find myself in uncertainty every summer, without knowing where I will do the season.

"I would like to find stability somewhere. In recent years, I've moved a lot, I've scattered a bit, and now I want to settle down.

"When you know that at the end of the season, you will surely no longer be there, that you will return to a club where you do not know if you will be able to stay even if you fight, it makes you think. It's not always easy to live with, whether for me or for my loved ones, who follow me every time."