Nicolas played several games for the first team last season in January, when we suffered a midfield injury crisis. He has captained the reserve team for the past 18 months.
Nicolas told the Brighton website: "I'm delighted. It's a great club with a lot of history and the boys are great.
"We're in the Championship this year so there's a lot of ambition. The manager's great and hopefully he can help me."
Chelsea Mad would like to wish Alexis all the best for the upcoming season.