Paris Saint-Germain have announced the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa on a two-year contract.

The 29-year-old from Clamart, in the Hauts-de-Seine department near Paris, is Paris Saint-Germain’s first new signing for the 2016-17 season. He is a French international, with 15 caps to his name, and his signature illustrates the Club’s strong ambitions for the season ahead.

Ben Arfa is returning to the Paris area, having trained at the French National Football Institute (INF) at Clairefontaine. He is a five-time French league champion. After returning from Newcastle United, he proved a hit at OGC Nice last season, scoring 17 goals and providing six assists in Ligue 1. Performances like these saw him recalled to the French national team and nominated for the UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Season award.

The forward has played 25 times in the UEFA Champions League, with Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille, and is looking forward to getting back into Europe’s premiere club competition in 2016-17; this time wearing Rouge et Bleu. As one of the stand-out players of his generation, his technical skills will no doubt be one of the highlights of the competition this season for all fans of football.

"Signing with Paris Saint-Germain is a very happy and a proud moment, said Ben Arfa on Friday, after putting pen to paper at Club headquarters. Paris Saint-Germain has always been a very special team for me, so to wear this jersey at the Parc des Princes is a childhood dream. It is an honour that the Club is giving me this opportunity, making this dream come true. I will do my utmost to represent my new team to the best of my abilities and to make our supporters proud. Finally, I would like to thank OGC Nice, who helped me get back to enjoying my football again and gave me another chance to show French fans what I am capable of on the pitch."

“I am happy to welcome such a talented player as Hatem Ben Arfa to our club, declared Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Paris Saint-Germain Chairman and CEO. For numerous years now, Hatem has been a major player in French football and was one of the most brilliant players in Ligue 1 last season. Our fans have been anticipating the arrival of a player of his style and I know he will provide them with a lot of excitement on the field. With his support, Paris Saint-Germain reaffirms its commitment to develop a spectacular style of football.”