They are three, among the twenty-five Blues present at this gathering, to have already sealed their future in recent weeks. Aurélien Tchouaméni, who signed on Saturday for Real Madrid, is the latest. Before him, Kylian Mbappé had announced his extension to Paris Saint-Germain and Boubacar Kamara his signing at Aston Villa.
In the hours following the fourth and final League of Nations match, against Croatia, at the Stade de France, Monday June 13, the Blues will be able to look into their holidays… but also their future in club. As usual, this end-of-season gathering led to a flood of questions about the rest of the careers of several players, faced with the choice of their next destination.
@atchouameni #WelcomeTchouaméni pic.twitter.com/HaTPwWYOFY
— Real Madrid CF (@realmadrid) June 11, 2022
This will be particularly the case for one of the absentees of the current list, Paul Pogba, still injured. On June 1, two days before France’s defeat against Denmark (1-2), Manchester United formalized the departure of the French midfielder at the end of his contract on June 30. Pogba will have to choose his new club well, he who wants to win the Champions League.
Another certain departure, that of William Saliba. The best hope of the season in Ligue 1 will leave Olympique de Marseille to return to Arsenal, who loaned him this season. “He has to come back. He has the experience and the environment to be competitive with us,” assured Mikel Arteta, the coach of the Gunners, to RMC Sport, on May 24. At West Ham, Alphonse Aréola is on loan from PSG, which must already manage its two goalkeepers, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas, who do not wish to relive an identical season. His future is in question.
Other Blues could be brought to think about their future, like N’Golo Kanté or Adrien Rabiot. Their contracts end in a year, in June 2023. Their clubs will therefore have to choose between selling them this summer, extending them or keeping them, even if it means letting them leave for free in a year. Jonathan Clauss is in the same situation and admitted to the Parisian only “discussions” were in progress with Atlético de Madrid. Some are courted by several clubs, after a great season, such as Jules Koundé, Moussa Diaby or Christopher Nkunku.
Presnel Kimpembe, captain for the first time with the Blues against Croatia (1-1), is also thinking about his future. “I am 27 years old, I am at a key moment in my career. I think my next contract will be important. I am waiting to be able to meet the new sports management of PSG and to be able to discuss the future project with them. of the club. We will have to discuss it quickly”, launched Kimpembe at a press conference on Sunday, June 5. Like the Parisian defender, Wissam Ben Yedder still has two years of contract with Monaco and explained to The Team “to think about its future (…) in a desire to progress”.
Antoine Griezmann, in difficulty with the Blues and in the club, should for his part continue his adventure at Atlético de Madrid. Returning to the Colchoneros in the form of a loan from FC Barcelona last summer, “Grizou” will sign definitively at Atlético in the coming weeks, according to Enrique Cerezo, the president of the Madrid club. “He is an Atlético player and he will continue with us”, he said in mid-May.
Some Blues are almost guaranteed not to change settings this summer. Mattéo Guendouzi, who wants to continue on the Canebière, must see his purchase option exercised by OM to stay in Marseille where Arsenal loaned him. Lucas Digne signed last January at Aston Villa, while Hugo Lloris, Theo Hernandez and Kingsley Coman recently extended their contracts, respectively with Tottenham, AC Milan and Bayern Munich.
Asked several times during the rally about the impact of the transfer window on his players, Didier Deschamps was pleased that it was taking place this time during the League of Nations: “It’s worse when it’s in the middle of the World Cup. I’ve experienced that before. If there’s an advantage to not playing a World Cup in June and July, that’s it. .” And on the choice, wise or not, to change clubs a few months before the World Cup, the coach estimated: “They will have time to settle in, to adapt. It’s better that way.”