FC Nantes have officially announced the signing of Colombian full-back Deiver Machado from RC Lens for €500K. The 32-year-old, whose contract with Les Sang et Or was due to expire next June, has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal and joins as a wild card.
Signed by Lens from Toulouse in the summer of 2021, Machado quickly established himself in Franck Haise’s 3-5-2 formation, and retained his place under Will Still. With over 110 appearances for the northern club, he was notably involved in their Champions League campaign in the 2023-24 season. A quality and experienced addition for the Breton club, currently 16th in Ligue 1 and on the verge of relegation, for whom the summer transfer window did not bear fruit.
Machado wants to earn playing time ahead of the 2026 World Cup
Having only played five times for Lens this season, Machado wants to take advantage of the opportunity to join Nantes to keep his hopes of participating in the 2026 World Cup alive.
“Machado’s departure was not planned, but the opportunity for him to get playing time for a personal goal, which is to play in the World Cup, seemed important to us, so we are not opposed to his personal project,” Lens coach Pierre Sage said at a press conference. “Even though he was in good shape, he had much less playing time because Matthieu Udol is holding the reins.”
With 12 caps for the Colombian national team, Machado now has six months to try to convince Nestor Lorenzo to include him in his World Cup squad.
