Rennes midfielder Baptiste Santamaria joins Nice on loan and will wear the No. 28 jersey

Nice officially announced that it has loaned 29-year-old local midfielder Baptiste Santamaria from Rennes until the end of the 2024/25 season. He will wear the No. 28 jersey and the contract comes with a buyout clause of less than 3 million euros.

Baptiste Santamaria came from the Tours youth training and made his debut for the first team in Ligue 2 on October 18, 2013. He then played for Angers and Freiburg before moving to Rennes for 14 million euros in August 2021.

So far, Santamaria has played 127 times for Rennes, scoring 4 goals and providing 6 assists. However, his tactical position in Rennes has declined rapidly since the beginning of this season, and his starting position has been replaced by Azor Matusiva.

After completing the signing, Santamaria said: "I am very happy to join Nice. My physical condition is fully ready and I can play at any time. I can't wait to play."

Nice is in good form this season, ranking fifth in Ligue 1 with 8 wins, 6 draws and 4 losses after 18 rounds, accumulating 30 points. In this regard, Santamaria said: "The Nice management and Frank Hayes' plan impressed me, and we quickly reached an agreement. I know the club is ambitious. They started this season well and will face important challenges next. I am honored to be part of this journey."

Nice sporting director Florian Maurice said: "I had no hesitation before starting negotiations with Baptiste. From the beginning, the chairman, general manager, coach and I were in agreement. The significance of the winter window is to make the necessary adjustments."

"We needed to strengthen our midfield due to injuries in the first half of the season. Baptiste has a wealth of experience, a great work ethic and high-level skills. He is a top player who needs to take on new challenges. What's more, he is in excellent physical condition at the moment."