Bournemouth Join Premier League Rivals Leicester in Race to Sign In-Form Nice Striker

Nice striker Alassane Pléa's recent resurgence in form has made him hot property once more, with Bournemouth set to rival Leicester for the Frenchman's signature this summer.

Pléa scored twice at Troyes last weekend to add to the four he netted at Guingamp in Nice's previous away match, before the international break.

The 25-year-old had scored only one goal in ten Ligue 1 games prior to the Guingamp haul, having scored ten goals in the first half of the season - six in the league, four in the Europa League.

In February, it was reported that Leicester manager Claude Puel was keeping close tabs on Pléa with a view to signing his countryman in the summer transfer window. Last month, Pléa himself said that he "would really like" to leave Ligue 1 at the end of the season.

But now it seems that it will not be such a simple matter for Leicester, as Bournemouth are also interested in the Frenchman according to an update from L'Equipe.

There have also been rumours of interest from Spanish clubs including Valencia, but France Football (via SportWitness) claimed that Pléa favoured a move to the Premier League over La Liga.

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However, with Valencia occupying the fourth Champions League spot, Pléa may be tempted to Spain by the lure of European football next season.

Leicester themselves could yet end up playing in Europe for the second time in three seasons. Unless Southampton win the FA Cup, the team that finishes 7th in the Premier League will qualify for the Europa League. Burnley currently occupy that spot, with Leicester three points behind.

Pléa failed to impress in his first two years at Nice, but he eventually repaid their faith with 14 goals last season. He already has 17 this time around, with seven Ligue 1 games still to play.