Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana close to first senior France call-up | OneFootball

Ahead of Didier Deschamps’ first France squad of the year, which the manager unveils on Thursday afternoon, RMC Sport report that there could be new faces in the team, in particular Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana.

The France national team staff have been keeping an eye on the youth international for a while, and the 22-year-old has been in good form with the Premier League side of late, having put his long-term injury issues behind him. He notably scored the winner and was named man of the match earlier this month in a win over Leeds. Fofana, who has nine appearances for Chelsea in total this season, is also eligible to represent Ivory Coast.

With former vice-captain Raphaël Varane having announced his international retirement, there will be a spot in defence up for grabs.

Ibrahima Konaté and Dayot Upamecano are expected to be called up following their impressive World Cup performances, even if the former is only just returning from injury. The latter has impressed since the turn of the year, notably keeping his compatriot Kylian Mbappé quiet in Bayern Munich’s Champions League last 16 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Behind them, William Saliba is set to keep his spot with Les Bleus in the wake of his impressive performances in Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge. Axel Disasi is also in the running after playing at the World Cup, while Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo has received a preliminary call-up for a potential first appearance in the French senior team.

France take on The Netherlands at the Stade de France on March 24, before flying out to Dublin to face Ireland three days later, as they kick off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin