Steven Nzonzi, the French and DR Congo defensive midfielder currently without a club, is being linked with a return to French football with Ligue 2 side USL Dunkerque. The 37-year-old is a free agent after leaving Stoke City at the start of July and is understood to be under consideration as an experienced option in the north of France.
Nzonzi’s potential switch would reunite the World Cup winner with French domestic football more than a decade after his last sustained spell in Ligue 1. The Colombes-born midfielder, who stands at 1.96m and favours his right foot, has amassed almost 200 Premier League appearances and close to 100 in La Liga during a career spent across Europe and beyond.
His most prominent achievements include lifting the 2018 World Cup with France and winning the 2015-16 Europa League with Sevilla, honours that underline the pedigree Dunkerque would be adding to a squad competing in the French second tier. Nzonzi’s club career has also taken in significant spells at Stoke City, Roma, Galatasaray and Rennes, as well as more recent stints in Turkey, Qatar and Iran, where he won the Iranian Supercup with Sepahan in 2024-25.
Nzonzi’s market value was last listed at €300,000, and any move to Dunkerque would be expected to come as a free transfer given his current unattached status. For now, the veteran midfielder remains without a club as talks over his next move continue.
