Nice chief Julien Fournier admits Fulham first came knocking for Maxime Le Marchand before he offered them Jean Michael Seri.

Fournier made the revelation after rejecting claims from Seri's camp that they deliberately undersold the midfielder in order to avoid paying him a higher severance bonus.

He told L'Equipe: "You must know that he had no offer last summer.

"Fulham was first interested in Le Marchand, as early as January. It was me who offered them the name of Seri, they were looking for a midfielder. Moreover, on the day of the signing of his contract, Seri was aware of the amount of the transfer and of the premium.

"In addition, when it was to be paid over four years, it was paid to him in one go, at his request. All this is so rude..."