Paris, July 4 (IANS) French football club Lyon has announced that it has signed young defender Louis Nganioni, who will start his professional career.

The France Under-20 international, who came through the Lyon youth system, on Friday signed a three-year deal, Xinhua reported on Saturday.

Lyon drafted Nganioni in 2010. Nganioni was a regular at the Under-20 level as the team capped him seven times. He has no chance so far to play in Ligue 1, though he played in several pre-season matches last year.

As Ligue 1 runners-up of last year, Lyon will compete in the Champions League next season. Lyon have completed several summer signings to strengthen the squad, such as defender Jeremy Morel from Marseille and winger Claudio Beauvue from Guingamp.