Hatem Ben Arfa will leave Nice this summer, the president of the Ligue 1 club has confirmed.
The former Newcastle winger's contract with Nice expires at the end of this month and he has been courted by a number of European clubs after an impressive season in France.
The 29-year-old was always thought to be heading out of the Allianz Riviera after scoring 18 goals in Ligue 1 and making France's reserve list for the European Championship on home soil.
Last month the France playmaker said he had narrowed his choice of next season's employers down to three while, at that stage, Nice had not given up hope of persuading him to extend his stay on the French Riviera.
However, speaking to Canal Plus, Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere appeared to accept defeat in the battle to keep his prize asset.
"Hatem Ben Arfa will not be in Nice next season," he said.
Rivere later added to RMC: "When it comes to us, we're out of the game. I would be surprised if he went to Lyon. But surprises in football do happen.
"He'll go to Lyon, Sevilla or Paris. But for Lyon I'm not as convinced as their president Aulas."
Ben Arfa, who has 15 international caps to his name, has most recently been linked with a move to Sevilla, while his first club Lyon have made him an offer.