L’Équipe have revealed that OGC Nice forward Amine Gouiri (22) is a target for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. The French youth international would be allowed to leave the club if an offer of over €40m was submitted from a foreign club. 

Nice are hoping to retain Gouiri this summer, and the club have also promised to offer an improved contract to the player. However, that offer can not yet come to pass.  

Should an offer of over €40m arrive from a foreign club, there is a verbal agreement in place for Gouiri to leave. A club with the financial means of pulling off the deal, Borussia Dortmund, are interested in the player. 

Ligue 1 side Rennes are also interested, but Nice are reticent to selling to a rival, and the verbal agreement already in place stipulates that the €40m+ offer comes from a foreign club. 

The forward scored 10 goals in Ligue 1 last season, but saw his form drop off in the new year.

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Lille have this afternoon announced the signing of young defender Bafodé Diakité, with the French youth international joining from his formative club Toulouse on a four-year deal.

L’Équipe have previously reported the deal to be worth up to €3m plus add-ons, and that Les Dogues were drawn to the player as a result of his versatility, being able to play in any position across the backline.

The 21-year-old won promotion to the top flight by winning Ligue 2 title with Toulouse last season, making 24 appearances and scoring two goals, while his contract was expiring at the end of the upcoming campaign.

He had been a part of the first team at his formative and home town club for the last four years now, which includes 25 matches in Ligue 1 across his first two campaigns before becoming more of a key asset during the club’s two campaigns in Ligue 2. Overall, he leaves having turned out 83 times for Les Violets in all competitions.

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This weekend, Oscar Piastri will race for the first time on home soil as an F1 driver, and the McLaren rookie expects the special atmosphere surrounding the event to make the latter an experience that he’ll remember.

Piastri suffered a frustrating baptism of fire in Bahrain where mistakes cost him a spot in Q2 while his race was undermined by an electrical issue.

But in Jeddah last time out, the 21-year-old made the Q3 cut – contrary to his teammate Lando Norris – but was unlucky on race day, with a contact forcing him into an early stop for a front wing change that compromised his evening.

F1’s third round will hopefully allow for Piastri to enjoy a clean race, but the predominant aspect of his weekend will inevitably be his mere presence on the grid as a local hero.

“It’s great to be heading to Melbourne for my home grand prix,” the young gun said in McLaren’s Australian Grand Prix preview.

“I grew up in the suburbs of the city and it is a special feeling to be returning as an F1 driver. It’s set to be a fantastic atmosphere and I can’t wait to get there and be a part of it.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing all of the home crowd and all of the papaya fans.

Read also: Piastri looks to Aston for inspiration amid McLaren slump

This will be the first time that I’ve raced at Albert Park and I’m sure it will be an experience that I remember. The weather is usually changeable here so it could be an interesting one.

“Securing a starting position of P8 in my second-ever F1 quali and ticking another box by finishing a full grand prix was extremely satisfying in Jeddah, although Sunday was not seamless.

“There is a long way to go this season. We’ll keep on pushing hard as a team and my learning curve continues.”

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As the center of attention of the fans and of the local media, Piastri will be facing many distractions in Melbourne. However, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella doesn’t believe he’ll need to keep his driver in a bubble.

“He is a very calm guy, I think he will be able to keep himself in the bubble,” Stella explained.

“But certainly we’ll have to make sure that he can stay focused on racing, and he can stay focused on keeping up with this exceptional rate of development session after session.”

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According to Foot Mercato an agreement is being finalised between Hoffenheim and Club Brugge for former PSG and Nice centre-back Stanley Nsoki (23) who is set to arrive in Germany on a 5-year deal for a transfer fee valued up to €12m. He is also set to complete his medical visit tomorrow. 

The Poissy-born defender, who is currently under contract at Brugge until June 2025, comes off the back of a successful season in Belgium after making 42 appearances for the club – including a Champions League campaign in which the young defender tested himself against the likes of Manchester City and former club Paris Saint-Germain.

At his time in the French capital, the player made 16 appearances in the 2018/19 season – before moving to OGC Nice  where he made 44 appearances between 2019 and 2021, featuring in the club’s Europa League campaign in 4 outings. The centre-back is a two-time Ligue 1 and Trophée des Champions winner – as well as winning the Belgian league with Brugge last season.

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In an interview with L’Équipe published this afternoon, Lens midfielder Séko Fofana notably discussed his future at the club amid rumours of a departure, and looked ahead to the start of the season, as his team host Brest on Sunday to kick off their campaign.

How are you experiencing this uncertain period, with the transfer window?

I’m very calm about it. I’m not the only decision-maker in this situation. As long as I’m here, I’ll do what I have to do. I’m really happy. Maybe you want to see me elsewhere, I don’t know! [laughs] But right now, things are going very well, there have been new signings and we have a very complete squad. I don’t know why I’d be fixated or leaving and doing my head in with that.

Have you set yourself a deadline to decide on your future?

No. There are no certainties on anything in football. To be honest, as the coach [Franck Haise] said, we are very happy together, we’re working well. There are things that can happen. It’s a situation where lots of people are asking questions, where I’m being linked all over the place. I’m trying not to pay attention to that. The reality is that I’m at Lens right now and I’m very happy to be here. Sometimes, being set on leaving, I wouldn’t say that it scares me but the last two years have gone by quickly. I want to keep enjoying myself and I won’t take any decision lightly.

[…] Are you targeting a European place with Lens this season?

You might be, I’m not. The goal is not to put ourselves under pressure. We’ve had two good seasons. It’s true that maybe people expect us to go higher. This season, the league will be another proposition because there are four relegation spots, it’s a lot. So at the start of the campaign, I can’t really tell you what the objective is.

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According to today’s L’Équipe paper Paris Saint-Germain target Milan Škriniar is likely heading towards a contract extension at Inter Milan despite PSG still pushing for the Slovak defender – the Serie A side are still demanding €70m for the defender.

The Parisian side were still confident over a deal last month, but the negotiations for the defender have dragged on into August with PSG unwilling to match Inter’s €70m valuation.

As reported by Get French Football News, the centre-back was one of three players the Ligue 1 champions had agreed personal terms in principle with last month, along with Gianluca Scamacca and Renato Sanches. Scamacca joined West Ham United late last month, yet a move for Renato Sanches is edging closer as the player is set to complete a medical in Paris this week.

The Slovakia international has been with the club for the last five years, making over 200 appearances and notably playing a part in the 2020/21 title win under Antonio Conte.

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Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato reports this afternoon that Kasper Schmeichel is set to undergo his medical on Wednesday ahead of a move from Leicester to Nice.

The Danish international will sign a three-year contract with Les Aiglons, as he leaves the Premier League side after an eleven-year spell during which he notably won the 2015/16 Premier League title and reached the Champions League quarter finals.

An agreement was reached between the two clubs over a €1m fee, which excludes potential add-ons of which several would be activated if Nice qualify for the Champions League.

The goalkeeper had agreed to join the Ligue 1 club last week after initially giving himself time to think about the offer, while Leicester appeared to be unwilling to let him go at first until they found a replacement number one.

The Dane arrives as a replacement for the Franco-Argentine Walter Benítez, who left on a free transfer to PSV Eindhoven, while initial target Yann Sommer changed his mind on joining despite having a contract offer on the table.and a fee being agreed with Borussia Mönchengladbach.

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Jonathan Sexton is in doubt for Ireland’s Six Nations campaign after Leinster confirmed the fly-half would miss their upcoming match against Ospreys.

The Ireland captain suffered a facial injury in Leinster’s United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Connacht on New Year’s Day and is a serious doubt for the Six Nations.

High tackle

Sexton suffered the injury in the final quarter of Leinster’s 41-12 victory over Connacht when he made a tackle on Jarrad Butler.

The 37-year-old was replaced shortly afterwards, sporting a nasty dent on his head.

That Johnny Sexton collision with Jarrad Butler

Sexton with a huge bag of ice on his cheek, on the bench pic.twitter.com/zDRzgcg26T

— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) January 1, 2023

Leinster confirmed on Tuesday that Sexton will be unavailable for selection against Ospreys as he had suffered a cheek bone injury. 

The Irish province did not specify whether he broke or fractured a bone but did say that he would have a procedure on Tuesday and would be further assessed afterwards.

Further injury updates

Sexton joins scrum-half Luke McGrath and back-rower Max Deegan on the sidelines after the pair picked up ankle injuries against Connacht.

Meanwhile, prop Tadhg Furlong and flanker Will Connors are closing in on returns for Leinster as they step up their rehabilitation programmes this week.

Furlong is working his way back from an ankle injury and Connors from a bicep injury.

There was no further injury news from the club with the following players still ruled out through injury: Thomas Clarkson (arm), Ed Byrne (knee), Jason Jenkins (hamstring), Robbie Henshaw (wrist), Martin Moloney (knee), Ciarán Frawley (knee), Charlie Ryan (knee) and Tommy O’Brien (knee).

Ireland kick off their Six Nations campaign on February 4 against Wales, providing some time for Sexton to recover.

After the Ospreys, Leinster have Champions Cup fixtures against Gloucester and Racing 92 before a clash with Cardiff ahead before the URC goes on a break for the Six Nations.

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According to Foot Mercato Nottingham Forest are set to join Leicester City in a bidding war to sign Lyon’s Houssem Aouar. According to reports, the newly-promoted Premier League side are keen on the midfielder but could face competition from two other interested parties which include Leicester City and La Liga side Real Betis. Lyon are not willing to let Aouar go, but could consider a departure if they receive a bid for around €15m.

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Leicester City, who are yet to bring in any recruits this summer, have made Aouar a priority to strengthen their midfield and to also soften the blow of the potential departure of England’s James Maddison – who is being pursued by fellow Premier League side Newcastle United. 

Last month Lyon accepted an offer from Real Betis which included midfielder William Carvalho in the deal – however Les Gones were unwilling to give in to the player’s high salary demands.

Aouar, though, was holding off accepting the offer as he believed he should be moving to a better club, according to sources contacted by Get French Football News.

In any case, the French international has confirmed his desire to leave to the Lyon upper management. With just one year left on his contract, the club know they will need to sell him this summer to get a transfer fee.

Following Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-0 victory over Clermont in what was Christophe Galtier’s first match in Ligue 1 as the Parisian boss, the manager spoke to Canal+ following the game on Kylian Mbappé’s absence, caused by a minor injury and kept out of the team as a precaution. Galtier confirmed the French international will be back next weekend for PSG’s home game against Montpellier. 

“We wanted to preserve him, if it was a Champions League match, he might have played but he will be with us next weekend! We are in the continuity of what we’ve been doing since the start of pre-season in Japan or the Champions Trophy. The team is better set up than at the start, which is normal. We have a lot of talent but what I remember is the collective desire to want to win the ball back early with intensity. The team played very well, they want to play with each other, they make efforts. Pablo is making effort, Messi and Neymar are equally doing so in response.”

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