Why Premier League clubs are queuing up for Clement Grenier

It is a sign of the progress Clement Grenier has made over the past 12 months that nobody batted an eyelid when Newcastle United made an offer (if you believe the press) in the region of £10 million to buy him from Lyon this week. Local hero Yohan Cabaye was already on his way to Paris Saint-Germain. To many, Grenier seemed a logical replacement.

In a sense, it’s no surprise Grenier features prominently on the Magpies’ hitlist. Here is a player capped for France at every level from U16s upwards. At 17 he signed his first professional contract. At 18 he made his Ligue 1 debut. At 19 he was European champion for France, alongside Gael Kakuta, Antoine Griezmann and Lyon team-mate Anthony Lacazette.

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James Eastham

James Eastham is a specialist writer covering French football. He has written for The Guardian, The Independent and When Saturday Comes magazine. He’s interviewed many leading figures in the French game, including Didier Deschamps and Kylian Mbappe. For a decade he also worked as a freelance football scout, covering games at all levels from U16 to the senior national team across France