Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana has opened up on his future amid links with Chelsea and Liverpool.
The 22-year-old is already one of the Provincial club’s star players which has earned him a regular spot in the France squad.
Monaco have sold a host of stars in recent years, including Benoit Badiashile to Chelsea, Fabinho to Liverpool and Kylian Mbappe to Paris Saint-Germain.
Fofana hopes that he can follow in their footsteps and keep improving but is not urgently looking to leave.
He said: “Monaco is a great club in France and Europe. A lot of big clubs come here to find players and we are all aware of this.
“If it is the right opportunity or moment [to leave], I can’t say. I don’t know but we are doing things the right way here at the moment.
“I have already played with top players but if one day I can play with more big names then it will be a pleasure and mean I have performed well.”
Fofana has a contract until 2024, with Monaco able to trigger an option for an extra year.
His rise domestically has led to a breakthrough season for the national team, earning a place in France’s World Cup squad for Qatar.
Les Blues went all the way to the final, where they were beaten by Argentina in one of the great tournament showdowns, but it was the win over England which Fofana rates as the toughest test.
Fofana added: “I think that the game against England was maybe the most difficult to prepare for. I wouldn’t say we were worried but when you face the runners up from the Euros, of course, you think a little bit more about the game.
“We had the impression that we would play against a team like ourselves. The England team was a bit like us with a lot of qualities defensively, offensively and it was a big game. Iif Kane scored the penalty then it would have had a huge impact on the game for sure.”
He further explained how France lacked ‘maturity’ in the defeat to Argentina in the final, starting poorly across an epic 3-3 match over 120 minutes, ultimately losing on penalties.
And Fofana believes France will be a force again at Euro 2024, adding: “This is the no1 sport in France and on TV. We’re all the product of the great academies that I’ve seen like Clairefontaine [where the French teams train] and Monaco.”
