Chicago Fire sign French defender Arnaud Souquet from Montpellier | OneFootball

The Chicago Fire have completed the signing of defender Arnaud Souquet on a free transfer from French side Montpellier, the club announced Monday.

Souquet has signed a three-year deal through the 2025 MLS season and will occupy one of the Fire's international roster slots.

“We are very excited to welcome Arnaud to the Club,” Fire sporting director Georg Heitz said in a club press release. “We went into the offseason with a focus on strengthening the outside back position and improving our defending in transition. Arnaud is a very experienced player who has been playing regularly in a top-five league and his addition will help to immediately solidify our backline.”

Souquet has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons in Ligue 1 with Montpellier following a move from Belgian side Gent, making 103 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals and providing six assists.

Earlier in his career, Souquet - who was capped extensively for France across various youth levels - represented the likes of Dijon and Nice having come through the Lille youth system.

The 30-year-old fills a position of need for the Fire, who have seen their two senior right-backs depart this winter, with Boris Sekulic's contract expiring and Jhon Espinoza joining Swiss side FC Lugano.

Preparing for their second season under head coach Ezra Hendrickson, the Fire are aiming to return to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017.