Dundalk FC has concluded a deal to bring Moroccan forward Sami Ben Amar to Oriel Park, pending international clearance.

The 23-year-old, who has represented his country at U20 and U23 level, has been training with the club in recent weeks and will wear the number 17 shirt with the Lilywhites.

“I am very excited,” Ben Amar told dundalkfc.com. “Dundalk is a very good club and I want to play here. In France, it is difficult for young players if you are not playing and I just want to play football. Dundalk have given me the chance to do that and I really want to show what I can do.”

Born to Moroccan and Portuguese parents in Nice on March 2nd, 1998, Sami spent four years developing at the club’s youth academy before joining Bastia in 2012.

A move to Nimes Olympique followed in 2017 and in his first season at the Stade des Costières he made three substitute appearances in Ligue 2 as the club secured promotion back to the top flight for the first time in 15 years.

His first taste of Ligue 1 action came in September 2019 when he came off the bench in Nimes’ scoreless draw away to Dijon and he was handed his first start for the club in their Coupe de la Ligue win over Lens the following month.

He also started in Nimes’ Coup de France defeat to Dijon in January 2020 and his last outing came in February of this year when he made a fleeting appearance as a late substitute in their 1-0 win over Lorient.

Most of Ben Amar’s football has been played with Nimes’ second team where he scored 18 goals in 48 starts across four seasons in the Championnat National 2 and 3 sections.

“Sami has raw talent and we have watched a lot of his games in France,” said Lilywhites head coach Vinny Perth. “He is someone who can play all across the front three positions and he’s a player who will really excite people.”