Adil Rami Does Not Rule Out Lille Exit

After receiving the praise of Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso yesterday, young defender Adil Rami has not completely ruled out a move away from Ligue 1 outfit Lille. However, he has stated that it is his intention to remain with les Dogues next season.

Having broken into Raymond Domenech’s France squad in recent times, Rami will keep the 2010 World Cup in mind when plotting his immediate future. He is anxious to play as much as possible in order to stand a chance of establishing himself with les Bleus.

However, he harbours doubts over the ability of Lille to compete strongly next season, clearly upset at the departure of head coach Rudy Garcia, who had been widely perceived as having done a satisfactory job.

“I am a competitor who is ambitious,” he told L’Equipe. “But the problem is that I am not sure the club will achieve in the near future. Mentally, we will have to start from scratch; we will have to rebuild everything.

“Whatever my club next year, I will give my all. I remember three years ago, I worked at the Town Hall. What I love above everything else is playing football.

“That's why I think it is better to stay in Ligue 1. If Milan [spoke to me] and told me that I will play every match, it is clear that I would go right now!”

To play in the World Cup is clearly the 23-year-old’s over-riding ambition and he has already established what he needs to do to reach such a height. “[I need to] score at least six goals, be part of the best defence in Ligue 1 and be named in the Team of the Championship at the end of the season,” he asserted. “Then I will be in the vicinity.”

Rami’s strong performances over the last season have not gone unnoticed, with Milan midfielder Gattuso singling the Franco-Moroccan defender out for praise in a recent interview.

There has been little speculation surrounding the solid centre-back’s future, but this will doubtless build over the summer.

Robin Bairner, Goal.com