Veteran French playmaker Nicolas Claire is set to begin the first overseas chapter of his career after agreeing a move to Kuwait for the 2026/27 season.
According to French outlet Handnews, the 38-year-old has signed with Kuwaiti side Al-Sulaibikhat and will leave the French league after an impressive 18 consecutive seasons.
Claire has spent the last three seasons with Tremblay but has not featured in the Starligue since early March. The move will mark the first time the former French international plays outside his home country.
The Réunion-born centre back made his professional breakthrough with Paris Handball in 2008 and was part of the PSG team that won the French championship in 2013. He later enjoyed spells with Nantes and Aix before joining Tremblay.
During his international career, Claire won bronze medals with France at the 2018 European Championship and the 2019 World Championship. Handnews reports that Claire leaves France as one of the most experienced players of his generation, having made 436 appearances and scored 1,450 goals in the French top flight since 2004.
The move to Al-Sulaibikhat is expected to be the final challenge of a long and successful career that has been spent almost entirely in French handball.