Speaking to RMC Sport following PSG’s 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund over the course of two legs, German defender Thilo Kehrer sought to keep a level head.

On the moment with the supporters after the match:

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Yes, we always say that with our fans, it is something special and what they did today before the match, but also what they always do, is incredible. It is incredible! It makes us strong, it gives us even more spirit, more energy and truly, these are fantastic moments.

Is this more than just qualifying for the quarter-finals for PSG?

Yes, I think so. A bit all around us, the club, this is the most important match but it was not the case for us. For us, the most important thing, was us, our plan, our desire, our squad. This is not the end, even if we celebrated and everything. This is just the start for us.

On if this was PSG’s best match of the season:

I don’t know if it was the best, we are just enjoying ourselves for the moment, we are happy to have qualified for the quarter-finals. For us, things start now and that is all.

Eurosport report that German side RB Leipzig have recently accelerated conversations to sign 18-year-old French and Rennes right-back Brandon Soppy.

The player is also soliciting interest from OGC Nice, Celtic and other unnamed sides at present, according to the reporter carrying the story this afternoon.

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Blink and you might just miss it. The upward trajectory and meteoric rise of many of Olympique Lyonnais’ academy graduates quickly catapult the players’ notoriety from niche, youth-level talents to burgeoning starlets linked to many of European football’s giants. For instance, this year has seen 16-year-old Rayan Cherki burst onto the world stage, dazzling with his pace and dribbling ability, while Houssem Aouar, still just 21, has become one of the most valuable players in Ligue 1.

This rocket-fuelled ascension has become commonplace in Lyon, where promising footballers are omnipresent. Such is the ubiquity of these young gems that their pervasiveness might soon rival that of the city’s Bouchons – Lyon’s traditional restaurants that are found on nearly every corner of the city, offering up its world-famous cuisine.

OL’s academy-first policy has in recent years produced a record of some of the most exciting, most talented youngsters in world football. The two aforementioned Gones indubitably figure in this superlative list, but another who equally merits a place despite a relative lack of excitement is Maxence Caqueret. Perhaps it’s his slight physique or maybe his unassuming public personality that keeps Caqueret out of the media spotlight, but the 20-year-old midfielder’s potential is palpable. On this both coaches and journalists are in agreement: Maxence Caqueret has not startlingly broken out like other OL youngsters, but he is, steadily and unequivocally, ascending.

Born in the commune of Vénissieux just outside of Lyon’s centre, Caqueret is, as affirmed by club president Jean-Michel Aulas, a “real Gone.” The midfielder joined OL’s academy at the age of 11 and was quickly identified by both his club and his country as a promising talent. Since 2015, Caqueret has made over 50 appearances for France’s youth sides, starting with the U16’s before working his way up, level by level, to the U19’s.

Two of Caqueret’s particular strengths – his ability to tirelessly work for his team and his aptitude as a leader – have been on show for both Lyon and France’s youth sides. Legendary Lyon youth coach Armand Garrido, who during his 30 years with the club helped form the likes of Karim Benzema, Samuel Umtiti, and Alexandre Lacazette, once described the 20-year-old as a “machine” – a player that wins the ball back, launches attacks, sets up goals, and can even score them too. Gerard Bonneau, head of youth recruitment at Lyon from 2003 to 2017, has similarly praised Caqueret, saying, “He really puts a lot into it. He gets through a lot of work and he’s got a very pure technique. He scraps for the ball too and he can take out a whole defensive line with a single pass or a dribble.”

Caqueret’s leadership abilities have often been exemplified by his role as captain at multiple stages in his youth career for both France and OL. While Lyon’s players are often referred to as Gones – essentially the “kids of Lyon” – Caqueret’s mental capacity and determination are anything but infantile.

While Caqueret works tremendously hard and excels at dispossessing opponents, the 20-year-old is hardly just an archetypal workhorse midfielder. When speaking of their young midfielder, both coaches and staff at Lyon often laud Caqueret’s sublime technique. Juninho, Sporting Director at OL, said in February, “For me, all football clubs must invest in Futsal, it’s vital. Caqueret, for example, in watching him play, I immediately noticed that he played Futsal, like most Brazilian footballers.” High praise indeed from one of the most authoritative figures at the club. Cris, too, described his former academy player as “very intelligent” and a midfielder who could “become a very good player” before the Brazilian coach left the club in 2018.

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Looking forward, it’s easy to know what Caqueret is aiming for in months and seasons to come. The 20-year-old finally made his first appearance in Ligue 1 this season much to his own delight but was surely hoping to build on his tally of eight appearances before the outbreak of COVID-19 and the consequential derailment of the 2019/20 campaign. While the January signing of Bruno Guimarães put another name in front of Caqueret in the midfield depth chart, the imminent summer departure of Lucas Tousart – currently on loan from Hertha Berlin – will free up space for the Vénissieux native.

Additionally, Houssem Aouar’s seemingly certain transfer away from Lyon could lead to a larger role for Caqueret next season. Jean-Michel Aulas has publicly advised Aouar to join his friend Andrea Agnelli at Juventus in what would be a financially significant sale for Aulas given his midfielder’s €55m valuation. If such a move were to happen this summer, expect Caqueret to step up in his compatriot’s absence, beckoning in a promising new era alongside Bruno Guimarães in the Lyon midfield.

G.M.

Speaking in an interview with Spanish outlet AS, current manager of 3rd placed Ligue 1 side Rennes Julien Stéphan has revealed that he came inches away from accepting the role of assistant manager to Thierry Henry at AS Monaco, with the offer coming 6 weeks before he was given the chance to take his first senior management role with his current side.

“One and a half months before becoming Rennes boss, Thierry (Henry) called me to join his staff. It seemed like a good step in my career, so I responded favourably to his request, but the conditions did not come to fruition for it to be done. Then the Rennes opportunity came up. Destiny did things well!”

Henry was of course sacked by the end of the year and Stéphan has now had an incredibly successful first 18 months in the senior world of coaching with his Brittany club.

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L’Équipe report this evening that German side RB Leipzig believe that they have “tied up” the professional contract deal with 17-year-old PSG central defender Tanguy Kouassi and that the teenager will be joining them on a free transfer when his current contract with Les Parisiens expires in June.

No further information has filtered through on this from the outlet at this stage.

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Speaking to Nice-Matin, OGC Nice Sporting Director Julien Fournier was asked whether there was a risk that Danish international attacker Kasper Dolberg might leave this summer.

“There is no debate, yes. He has absolutely no desire to leave. He feels good at Nice, where he has everything he needs to enjoy himself. We explained to him everything when he signed. We are no longer a club that serves as a springboard for clubs like Aston Villa or Fiorentina, without lacking respect for these big clubs. We want to be that for the biggest clubs.”

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Le Phocéen report that Ligue 1 side Nantes are due €2m  after Marseille’s qualification for the Champions’ League last week.

Why? Owing to a clause in the two clubs’ deal for 25-year-old midfielder Valentin Rongier, who joined OM for €13m as part of the joker transfer window in September.

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This deal will now cost Marseille a total of €15m following their UCL qualification which was confirmed last week when the LFP announced the definitive termination of the 2019/20 season, with OM sitting in 2nd.

Speaking in an interview with So Foot, 38-year-old striker Djibril Cissé offered his services for free to any Ligue 1 club for next season – he wants to return to the French top flight in order to score six more goals that would enable him to be part of the 100 goal club.

“You know how a goalscorer is, we are in love with the goal, we are in love with milestones, 25, 50, 75… Me, this 100 milestone haunts me. I stayed at 96 goals since I stopped. I am missing 4 and I am not coping well with it, it is driving me crazy. If a club would accept, I can get them in two or three months. I am pretty determined, when I have an objective, to do everything to attain it… [I can also] help the team with the mental preparation, the youth teams and even advise the attackers. I would love to… I’d come for free!”

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Newly promoted to Ligue 2 side RC Lens had been in discussions with TP Mazembe’s 20-year-old attacker Jackson Muleka in recent days about a move in the upcoming transfer window, but a deal is now very unlikely, according to France Football.

Muleka has impressed, notably in the African Champions’ League this season, scoring 7 times in 10 matches, including three doubles. He is still expected to move to Europe this summer, with the capacity to play everywhere across the forward line.

Lens are understood to have pulled out of talks owing to financial reasons. Congo’s top scorer in 2018/19 (24 goals) also has interest from Turkish and Belgian sides, with African behemoths Al Ahly and Zamalek also taking a close look at a possible deal.

He is expected to cost between €1.5m and €2m.

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Even if the attempt has very little chance of succeeding, six senators, including four from the Rhône area (where Ligue 1 club Lyon are situated), tabled amendments opening the way for a possible resumption of the 2019/20 Ligue 1 season, which still requires majority support in French senate. Mr Savin, Mr Kern, Mr Buffet, Ms Di Folco, Ms Lamure and Ms Forissier are fighting so that federations and leagues wishing to resume competition can do so as quickly as possible. A science committee would, per their proposed legislation, have the right to oversee a potential return.

Here is the amendment in full:

Amendment No. 242 presented by MM. SAVIN, KERN and BUFFET, Mmes DI FOLCO and LAMURE and M. FORISSIER.

Complete this article with two paragraphs worded as follows:

The delegated sports federations and the professional leagues may decide to resume professional competitions in order to complete the 2019-2020 season, if the health situation allows for it and after the opinion of the committee of scientists provided for in article L. 3131-19 of the code of public health.

To do this, they define, under their responsibility, and in agreement with the State, a health protocol adapted to the resumption of competitions which determines the conditions under which athletes, necessary personnel and the public can participate in these competitions.

On April 28th, the Prime Minister told the National Assembly that “the 2019-2020 season of professional sports, including the football season, cannot be resumed.”

Whilst health is the most important thing in all circumstances, this announcement can be seen as a surprise on at least two aspects: it was made very early (more than two weeks before the start of the de-escalation of quarantine) and without prior consultation with the sports world.

The leagues and federations thus, in line with their responsibilities, applied the Prime Minister’s decree, without even knowing the reasons which led to such a rapid decision-making.

Today, however, the situation has clearly changed, the premature nature of this government announcement is clear and many parties are questioning this choice.

It is certain that the magnitude of the health situation calls for caution and requires rapid decision-making, but this decision has serious consequences for sport and economics in the long term. In view of the evolution of the health crisis and the evolution of the information available, this decision should be able to be questioned by the federations and leagues which should they wish.

This amendment therefore allows federations and leagues who so wish to envisage a resumption of the championships to end the 2019/2020 season, dependent on the opinion of the COVID-19 scientific committee, and within the framework of an agreement with the State.

This possibility will occur if the following three conditions are met:

1 | the health situation should allow the resumption of competitions and prevent a further spread of the epidemic;

2 | the committee of scientists must decide on what a return would look like and, if necessary, issue health recommendations (total or partial quarantining, regular screening of players and staff, wearing of masks on the bench, etc.);

3 | An agreement to return must be ratified by the State, enabling an appropriate health protocol to be established and defining all the conditions for this takeover.

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