France news

Italy have confirmed Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa has been sent back to the Premier League giants due to injury and will not feature in their vital 2026 World Cup play-offs. However, striker Hugo Ekitike has linked up with the France squad despite being substituted early on during the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.

Arsenal defender William Saliba has officially withdrawn from the France squad for their upcoming friendly fixtures in the United States. The 24-year-old was forced to pull out just 24 hours after playing the full 90 minutes in the Gunners' Carabao Cup final defeat at Wembley. Consequently, Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix has been handed his maiden senior call-up to replace the injured star.

France are preparing for a seismic shift in the dugout as Zinedine Zidane has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to become the next head coach of Les Bleus. The legendary former Real Madrid boss is set to succeed Didier Deschamps following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup in North America. Zidane has been out of work since leaving Los Blancos for a second time in 2021.

Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has dismissed concerns regarding Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham joining their national teams. Despite recent injury scares at the Santiago Bernabeu, the coach insists the superstar duo are ready for both club and country, thus he is happy for them to play over the upcoming international window.

Liverpool will be without the services of Alisson Becker for Saturday’s early kick-off against Brighton. The 33-year-old shot-stopper did not travel with the rest of the Reds squad to the South Coast, dealing a significant blow to Arne Slot’s plans as they look to keep up their pursuit of Champions League qualification.

Real Madrid face a dilemma over Kylian Mbappe's fitness ahead of their Champions League clash with Manchester City clash as France and Nike demand his presence for international friendlies. The World Cup winner may be called upon by his country despite sitting out matches at club level.

There is a clear bond between the two greatest French forwards of their respective generations, even if they never had the chance to share a pitch. Thierry Henry, now 48, remains a constant source of inspiration for Kylian Mbappe, who is currently chasing down the final few goals needed to surpass Olivier Giroud as Les Bleus' all-time record goalscorer.

Thierry Henry has leapt to the defence of Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe, insisting his fellow Frenchman has been unfairly criticised in his career due to the high standards expected of him. Mbappe rose to stardom with AS Monaco before securing a nine-figure move to Paris Saint-Germain and winning the World Cup with France as a key starter while still a teenager. To date, Mbappe has scored 365 times in 460 club appearances, while he has also grabbed 55 goals in 94 caps for France, second to only Olivier Giroud in Les Bleus' all-time leading scorers list. Despite these many accolades, Mbappe has never won the Champions League as a player, and despite being tipped to take home many Ballon d'Or awards in an era after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's duopoly, he has yet to claim a Golden Ball for himself.

Within a Real Madrid squad that is packed full of Galacticos, Fede Valverde is rarely singled out for what he offers to Los Blancos despite his obvious importance to the team. On Wednesday, though, he was able to hog the limelight after his stunning first-half hat-trick saw off Manchester City in the Champions League. His performance also earned him the rarest of plaudits: A 10/10 rating from L'Equipe.