Inter Miami signs versatile French winger Corentin Jean from RC Lens to boost attack

Eager to bolster its attack and make a playoff push, Inter Miami on Wednesday announced the signing of French winger Corentin “Coco” Jean from Ligue 1 team RC Lens.

Jean, who turns 27 on July 15, agreed to a three-year deal through the 2024 MLS season with options for 2025 and 2026. Inter Miami paid Lens a $1.2 million transfer fee, according to L’Equipe newspaper.

The versatile winger can also play striker. Jean will occupy an international roster slot and will be eligible to play once he receives his P1 visa and transfer certificate, a process that could take several weeks. The club hopes to have him ready to play no later than the start of August.

“Corentin Jean is an exciting, technical and dynamic player who will bolster our attack by helping us generate more chances in the final third, contributing mostly from wide areas and giving us more depth up top,” said Inter Miami chief soccer officer Chris Henderson. “We believe his quality and experience at the highest levels will strengthen our squad to help us achieve our goals this season and beyond.’’

The Blois, France, native has spent his entire career playing in his home country, first with ESTAC Troyes (2012-2015, 2015-2016 on loan), then AS Monaco (2015-2017), Toulouse FC (2016-2017 on loan, 2017-2020), and most recently for RC Lens. He has made 249 appearances across all competitions in his career, including in the UEFA Champions League, and 160 Ligue 1 appearances, registering 37 goals and 21 assists.

He also played for French youth national teams, most recently for the U-21 team in 2016.

Inter Miami coach Phil Neville, who conducted his press conference in Spanish on Wednesday, said Jean is a player they have been targeting for several months. Jean is in Miami this week getting his physical, looking for an apartment and getting his papers in order.

“He has a lot of qualities I think we need on our team for the final third (of the field)…assists, goals, the ability to keep the ball and make the final pass,” Neville said. “It’s a signing that we need to improve. He needs to learn English because right now he speaks only French and the only player we have who speaks French is (goalkeeper) Clement Diop.”

Neville said Jean is in peak fitness and that he was extremely excited to join Inter Miami, “and that coming from a player in a top league in Europe at his age is a really good sign. We’re not getting someone who’s over the hill. We’re getting someone that’s still halfway up the hill really wanting to improve. His versatility is really important, he can play left wing, right, No. 10, center forward and wingback.”

Jean played 110 matches for Troyes from 2012 to 2016, including the 2015-2016 season on loan after he was signed by Monaco in the summer of 2015, scoring 25 goals and registering six assists and helping the team clinch the 2014-2015 Ligue 2 title.

Jean then returned to AS Monaco from his loan and made five appearances, including a UEFA Champions League appearance in the group stage. He scored a goal and had an assist for the club, which won the Ligue 1 trophy in the 2016-2017 season.

He went to Toulouse on loan and signed permanently with that club in the summer of 2017. He played 79 matches for Toulouse, scored two goals and had nine assists. From there he went to Lens, where he has scored seven goals and five assists in 54 games.

Neville said more reinforcements are expected this summer.

“The signings we are looking for are to improve us in the final third of the pitch, give us more options, that quality, and that ability to win games,” Neville said. “We have not won away from home the past three or four games. That tells us we need goals. It takes nothing way from the boys we have now because they are absolutely fantastic and Coco is going to have to play extremely well to get in front of Robert (Taylor), Ari (Lassiter), Emerson (Rodriguez) and Indiana (Vassilev). The competition will help our quality.”

Inter Miami is in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings with 18 games remaining, one spot shy of the playoff line. The next game is July 4 on the road at Dallas FC (9 p.m., My33).