Nice president Jean Pierre Rivere has opened the door to Hatem Ben Arfa’s return to the club just 12 months after he left to join rivals Paris Saint-Germain.
Ben Arfa spent last season at Nice where he got his career back on track before earning a high profile move to PSG last summer when his 12-month deal with Nice expired.
The 30-year-old has struggled to make any serious impression at PSG under Unai Emery this season and has already been tipped with a move away from the reigning Ligue 1 champions, with Nice open to his return.
“I like the player and the person a lot,” Rivere told Canal Football Club, via Get French Football. “But Hatem is no longer 20, he is 30. If we play to his strengths, which I think we did very well, we can make him shine.
“Bring him back to Nice? I do not know, you would have to ask PSG. But he is someone who we could look at, yes. Like Mario Balotelli, Hatem Ben Arfa is an appealing player who would fit easily into our squad."
Ben Arfa has only started five league games this season and been made to make a further 18 appearances from the sub bench, only managing 627 minutes of league action with just one assist to his name.
In fact, only three players have been used as a substitute more times than Ben Arfa this season. However, despite barely playing this season Ben Arfa has still completed at least 42 more dribbles than any other player in the last two Ligue 1 seasons, illustrating how good he was for Nice.
For more stats on Hatem Ben Arfa, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
