Rising Star Quentin Merlin Draws Attention from Top European Clubs

At 21, Quentin Merlin is already a veteran of FC Nantes. It must be said that this pure product of the club’s training center on the banks of the Erdre already has 61 Ligue 1 matches under his belt. With the FCN, he has already known almost everything. From the fight not to go down, to the victory in the Coupe de France via the European Cup, Merlin, who had made a great debut in 2021, got a little lost, the fault of injuries and research from his best position.

The rest after this ad

Capable of playing in midfield, it is as a left-back that the native of Pornic flourishes the most. “I am versatile and I will give my best in the middle if the coach calls me in the middle. But I love the full-back position. I’m starting to do well defensively and find a lot of points,” he explained recently. It is also in this position that he has the most professional matches (42 matches). Since the start of the season and under the orders of Pierre Aristouy, the No. 29 from Nantes has had a blast. His last match against Montpellier where he recovered 16 balls is the perfect example and showed constant activity on his left side. If he still has waste in his game, Merlin must maintain this freshness and rely on his qualities (vision of the game, technique in particular).

Read OL have not given Henrique any news

Leipzig, Naples and PSG are on the lookout

So obviously, a player of this age, in such a stricken position and who has become indisputable in the eyes of Thierry Henry among the Espoirs (4 starts in the last 4 matches of the Espoirs), inevitably begins to stir up covetousness especially since he has a lot of room for improvement. Already last summer, OL but also OGC Nice were interested in him without going any further. In the heart of autumn, interest has not dried up, on the contrary. According to our information, RB Leipzig, still as fond of players playing in Ligue 1, has contacted FC Nantes to find out the availability of the player under contract until June 2026 this winter.

The rest after this ad

Well in his crampons and with the prospect of participating in the Olympics, a real objective in his eyes, a departure this winter appears complicated. But the stakes will rise as Napoli have shown interest, as have PSG who have already made inquiries from the player’s entourage. For the moment, Quentin Merlin is in Nantes and there is no indication that this will change quickly. But in such a special position, everything could accelerate around the winter transfer window. FC Nantes, which set the bar at €10 million last summer, should revise its demands upwards to scare away interested clubs. Not sure if that’s enough…

Pub. 10/27/2023 8:37 p.m. Updated 10/27/2023 9:02 p.m.

2023-10-27 18:37:55
#beautiful #people #Quentin #Merlin