Serey Die: Ivorian midfielder returns to Sion after seven years

Serey Die has returned to Swiss Super League club Sion on a two-year contract, the side where he started his European career.

The 35-year-old midfielder will officially join Ricardo Dionisio's side on June 1 at the end of his contract with league rivals Neuchatel Xamax.

He moved to Neuchatel on a free transfer in January, after playing for Aarau at the start of the season, and he has played 15 matches in the Swiss top-flight so far this term with a single goal to his name.

“I am very happy to return to FC Sion, a club that means a lot to me since they allowed me to discover Europe,” Die told the club website.

“I love the fans, I love everything this club represents, whether for me or in Swiss football. Christian Constantin is someone important in my career and I am very happy to find this red and white jersey and to give him back what he brought out in me by bringing me to Europe.”

Meanwhile, club chairman Christian Constantin hopes the return of the Ivory Coast international will boost Dionisio's team who are eighth on the Swiss Super League table.

Sion are four points ahead of the relegation play-off with 23 points after 23 games before the league was suspended in March due to the coronavirus crisis.

"I know Serey and his qualities. He still has a lot to bring to the field, as he has proven recently, and I also count on him to bring to the locker room values ​​that have been lacking in recent months,” Constantin said.

“Serey is a man who knows what working means and who understands the sacrifices you have to make to win matches.

“This is an important reinforcement for us. My wish is that he will perform well here.”

Die has spent the majority of his career in Switzerland and he has won three Swiss Super League titles and three Swiss Cups to date.

He played in all of the Elephants' games at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt before bringing an end to his international career in September 2019, after making 50 appearances with two goals for the West African country.

Die was part of the Ivory Coast team that won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations title in Equatorial Guinea.