The outlet understands that the former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder expressed his wish to leave the Ligue 1 club when returning from his holidays, on December 28th. Matić, a father of three, has previously lamented the fact he could not enrol his children at an international school in Rennes. The problem is that there is no international school in Rennes. This misunderstanding has reportedly angered the club’s owner – French billionaire and luxury mogul François Pinault.
Ouest-France adds that Pinault, as well as the club’s executives, have no intention of letting go of Matić after only four months in Brittany. The pill would be even harder to swallow should a rival Ligue 1 club were to swoop in. It has been previously reported that Lyon were targeting the former Premier League player. Ouest-France adds that Les Gones have the financial means to lure Matić out of Brittany and that Lyon have progressed in their attempts to sign him.
Lyon are set to face competition from Marseille. Allowing Matić to leave would be another setback for the Bretons, who are only tenth in the league.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
]]>The outlet goes as far as saying that Liverpool is “the most credible and dangerous candidate” for PSG regarding Mbappé’s future. Le Parisien adds that Reds manager Jürgen Klopp’s nine-year-long unwavering pursuit of the Parisian-born prodigy does not leave the latter indifferent.
With Mohamed Salah’s contract set to expire in 2025 and the Egyptian international courted by Saudi Pro League teams, Liverpool reportedly “dream” of luring Mbappé to Anfield as a statement signing that would allow them to close the gap with Manchester City.
However, Le Parisien understands that leaving Paris next summer would not make much sense for Mbappé, considering he would struggle to find elsewhere an environment as tailor-made for him like PSG. However, the outlet adds that Real Madrid’s hardball tactics to convince him to join the Spanish giants have no chance of succeeding and are even counter-productive. The outlet adds that out of Real Madrid, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, two of those clubs will be bitterly disappointed at failing the opportunity to sign Mbappé next summer.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
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PSG have announced the signing of Lucas Beraldo, and it was expected that Moscardo would sign at the same time. However, that will not happen, even if the Brazilian is still set to sign for Les Parisiens, according to L’Équipe.
Moscardo arrived in Paris, alongside Beraldo, on Friday in order to undergo his medical ahead of a €20m move to PSG, however, a foot injury was detected during the medical. Moscardo has taken to social media to confirm that he will undergo an operation on his left foot, which will see him ruled out for three months.
However, Moscardo’s move to the Parc des Princes is not in question, despite the setback. According to Fabrizio Romano, more talks will take place this week ahead of the finalisation of the transfer.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
]]>After a great start to the season with Nice, Todibo is attracting major interest this January. The France international has already been the subject of an approach from Tottenham, however, according to Fabrizio Romano, the move seemed to collapse after Tottenham wanted to quickly conclude a transfer, whilst Les Aiglons were wanting to wait.
In the wake of Tottenham’s failure to quickly conclude a deal for Todibo, Chelsea, who are still unsatisfied with their defence, despite significant investment in recent windows, have opened talks with Nice, according to Foot Mercato. Manchester United, who in INEOS now share a common owner, are still interested in Todibo, as they have been for many months. A move to Old Trafford seems logical given the newly constructed link between the clubs, however, a move is unlikely to take place before the summer.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
]]>𝑩𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆́𝒆
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) January 1, 2024
Regardez jusqu'à la fin pic.twitter.com/4qs1Zd35Co
The Ligue 1 champions were in the market for a young left-footed centre-back given Presnel Kimpembe’s injury woes. The France international is expected to sit out the remainder of the season. Kimpembe sustained a serious Achilles injury last year. Leeds United’s Pascal Struijk was also considered. Beraldo’s arrival also means heightened competition for a berth at the back of Luis Enrique’s set-up considering Milan Skriniar has not entirely convinced so far on the back of his free transfer from Inter.
“I’m really happy to be joining a club as ambitious as Paris Saint-Germain”, Beraldo added. “This is an important step in my career and one that will help me to move forward. I can’t wait to get to know my new teammates and to take my first steps in this shirt.”
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain will play French cup winners Toulouse on Wednesday for the Trophée des Champions at the Parc des Princes.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
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Les Monégasques and the forward were set on an early departure with six months left on his contract. The player has not featured for a single minute for the club this season, having been frozen out of the squad.
Martins has not trained with the first-team squad due to an agreement made between Monaco and his agent. There were some thoughts that he would look to return to his native Portugal or that the Saudi Arabian clubs would be interested in securing his talent.
However, according to L’Équipe, Martins will likely join Olympiacos FC later today after travelling to Piraeus last night where he will join the Greek club on a free transfer. Still, Monaco will maintain a small percentage on any future transfer fees if Olympiacos look to sell him.
Perhaps there will be some disappointment that Monaco will not come anywhere close to recouping the €30 million spent on securing the player in 2018 from Atlético de Madrid, but this transfer is part of a wider move from Les Monégasques to trim their squad.
]]>Sarr and Gueye were part of the AFCON-winning side back in 2022, however, for Ndiaye, who switched Sheffield United for boyhood club Marseille in the summer, it is an AFCON debut that awaits him in January. “Obviously, it means a lot to represent my country, Senegal. It is a dream that is coming true to play in the AFCON. I can’t wait to get started,” Ndiaye told Get French Football News in an exclusive interview.
The three OM players are the latest of a long list of players to have also represented Senegal. They follow in the footsteps of Mamadou Niang, Bouna Sarr, Habib Beye, Abdoulaye Diallo, Souleymane Diawara, Boubacar Sarr, Sylvian N’Diaye and more recently, Bamba Dieng in representing both Les Phocéens and the Lions of Terranga.
Naturally, a strong link has therefore been forged between Marseille and Senegal. “There is a lot of pride in representing Olympique de Marseille in Africa because Marseille are really big in Africa. So to represent them for me is a very proud moment,” said Ndiaye.
The creation of OM Nation Dakar, one of the biggest Marseille supporters associations, which unites thousands under the OM flag. “Olympique de Marseille is like a religion to us,” said Serigne Sall Ndiaye, the association’s president. That fervency explains the hero’s welcome that Gueye received upon his return to Senegal in December. “Allez l’OM”, go Marseille in English, chanted the crowd as the midfielder arrived ahead of January’s AFCON.
“It is a source of pride and joy to represent OM in Africa because there are lots of Olympique de Marseille supporters in Africa. We are going to bring Marseille everywhere we go. I am very proud,” Sarr told Get French Football News.
Whilst Sarr and Ndiaye both expressed pride in representing Senegal at AFCON, there is also pride – and joy – in representing OM. “The emotions were high. Obviously, it is a childhood dream to play for Marseille,” said Ndiaye, who has said that he has since “put those emotions aside” in order to “focus” on his football with Les Phocéens.
“I feel good. We are a family, a team. I feel really great here,” added Sarr, who has four goals and two assists since his summer move from Watford. Sarr, Ndiaye and Gueye al head to the Ivory Coast with renewed confidence thanks to an uptick in form at OM.
Gennaro Gattuso’s side are unbeaten in their last six games in Ligue 1 and have won three out of their last four, following a difficult start to the campaign. “I am happy for the team and for everyone. We are on a good run. We’ll try and continue that for the supporters as well. We have been expecting (a turnaround) for some time as well and we will be looking to keep it up,” said Sarr in mid-December.
However, the trio’s focus now turns to AFCON, where Senegal will be looking to retain their crown. “I must admit that it [won’t be] easy, but the first time wasn’t easy either! There are lots of teams like Morocco and the Ivory Coast that will want to win it as well, Algeria, Tunisia, and Cameroon as well. Everyone wants to win this AFCON. It won’t be easy, but we’re going there to do something,” said Sarr, who is expecting stiff competition.
“Of course, we are going to come into it with the same intent and the same passion, I saw ‘we’ as I’m part of the team now, even though I wasn’t in the same AFCON-winning team, but we’ll come in with the same intent and passion as the last AFCON,” Ndiaye told Get French Football News.
He added, “Obviously, we, as a team, are a family, and when you’re a family, you help each other to perform to the best of your ability. I can’t wait to get there and get going.” Ndiaye, Sarr, Gueye, and the rest of the Lions of Terranga are hungry to retain their title.
]]>Henrique’s strengths have always been just as clear as his weaknesses. The Brazilian came through at Atletico Madrid as a No.10, and it often shows. Now functioning at left-wing-back, his upside in the final third is considerable, whilst his dead-ball delivery ranks amongst not only the best in Ligue 1, but in Europe.
Last season, he registered nine assists, the joint-fifth highest total in Ligue 1. In his first six games of this season, he registered four assists. Despite not featuring since mid-September, only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Florian Sotoca and Ousmane Dembélé have more assists than the Brazil international.
However, his defensive weaknesses have often been exploited by the opposition, with lapses in concentration and poor positioning all too often leading to goals. Under new manager Adi Hütter, those weaknesses have been masked.
He had been registering more complete performances, and that has facilitated his breakthrough on the international scene. Henrique had often been questionably overlooked, leading him to consider his international allegiance. The former Atletico Madrid player also possessed a Spanish passport, and he had publicly touted the possibility of representing La Roja.
However, he finally made his debut in September, making a substitute appearance in a 5-1 win against Bolivia. If that was the high point of his career, two weeks later he experienced one of, if not the biggest, lows.
Having suffered an ACL injury against OGC Nice, he required surgery. Hütter has said that he will therefore be absent for “six, seven or eight months”, meaning that he may not feature again before the end of the season.
It is a cruel blow for a player that finally looked to have ironed out some of the weaknesses in his game, or at the very least, that he was now being deployed in a system that masked them. Beyond the personal disappointment, his absence is also a blow to Monaco, whose potential to challenge PSG for the Ligue 1 title has been negatively affected by the injury. However, should Henrique rediscover his pre-ACL form, he will remain a huge asset for Monaco and Brazil going forward.
]]>In June, Mbappé informed the PSG hierarchy that he would not be triggering the one-year extension, included in his contract, signed back in May 2022. Fearing losing the most valuable player in the world on a free, Les Parisiens’ response was to omit Mbappé from their pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea amidst a wider objective, which was to garner a fee for the France captain.
However, Mbappé dug in his heels. He publically repeated the claim that whilst he was unwilling to renew, he would be seeing out the final year of his contract at the Parc des Princes. That stance was tested when PSG reportedly accepted a world-record €300m bid from Al-Hilal, but Mbappé stood firm.
Whilst Mbappé ultimately re-integrated the first team following PSG’s opening day draw against FC Lorient, there has been little talk of a renewal. The facilitator of Mbappé’s re-integration is reportedly the Frenchman’s acceptance to forego considerable loyalty bonuses.
However, despite Mbappé now being able to discuss a pre-contract agreement with other clubs, ahead of a free transfer, there is optimism at PSG. According to The Athletic and L’Équipe, Les Parisiens are growing increasingly optimistic that Mbappé will once again shun interest and remain at the club.
Mbappé’s perceived happiness at the club, following some big-name departures in the summer and the reconstruction of the project by Luis Enrique and Luís Campos, both of whom he shares good relations with, is a source of hope for PSG, who will be desperate to avoid the fiasco that marred the second half of the 2021/22 season.
Another source of optimism for PSG is the lack of suitors for Mbappé. The Frenchman, although arriving potentially on a free, would have extortionate wage demands, limiting the number of clubs that could feasibly pull off a deal. “There is no chance [of signing Mbappé], absolutely no chance. Sorry for killing the idea,” said Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp in November, citing the financial barriers to a move.
Manchester City, one of the few clubs financially capable of signing Mbappé, are also unlikely to make a move. “Manchester City aren’t after Mbappé. Everyone knows where he wants to go,” said Pep Guardiola back in June. As reported by RMC Sport, Barcelona’s reported interest in signing the AS Monaco academy product is unfounded, and given the Catalan club’s financial difficulties, completely unrealistic.
As things stand, only Real Madrid and Saudi Arabia have the means to sign Mbappé. A move to the latter seems unlikely, given the Frenchman’s rejection of a move in the summer. However, that has not deterred Michael Emenalo, the Suadi Pro League Director of Football.
“With Mbappé, the conversation is open,” Emenalo began in an interview with Marca earlier in December. “But we don’t know what he wants to do. Our position is clear: all of these kinds of players know where we are. If there is a possibility or an interest from Mbappé to be a part of what we’re building, today or in the future, we can’t reject the possibility. It is a player that I like.”
The more likely scenario sees Mbappé heading to Real Madrid this summer. According to The Athletic, Real Madrid are preparing a limited-time offer for Mbappé, who must respond to the proposal by mid-January. The offer is likely to be less lucrative than the one offered back in 2022. Whilst Mbappé is now free to negotiate with any club, he is not exactly spoilt for choice.
]]>Marseille is very much your city. How have you handled your return?
Of course, there have been a lot of emotions over the past few months. Now they have come down a bit and I am more focused. The emotions were high. Obviously, it is a childhood dream to play for Marseille. Of course, I had played for them before, but playing in the stadium, in front of all the fans, was unbelievable. But now, I have had to put those emotions aside and really focus on my football in general in Marseille. I have been really focused, kept a smile on my face. I am more ready than ever.
What does it mean to represent Senegal at your first AFCON?
Obviously, it means a lot to represent my country, Senegal. It is a dream that is coming true to play in the AFCON. I can’t wait to get started. There is a lot of pride in representing Olympique de Marseille in Africa because Marseille are really big in Africa. So to represent them for me is a very proud moment, and I can’t wait to get started.
And Senegal will be one of the favourites…
We are going to come into it with the same intent and the same passion, I saw ‘we‘ as I’m part of the team now, even though I wasn’t in the same AFCON-winning team, but we’ll come in with the same intent and passion as the last AFCON. We, as a team, are a family, and when you’re a family, you help each other to perform to the best of your ability. I can’t wait to get there and get going.
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