5 most valuable U-23 players from France - January 2022

#3 Dayot Upamecano - €55M

Dayot Upamecano has grown year on year

Out of all the upcoming defenders in the Bundesliga, Dayot Upamecano is considered by many to be arguably the most talented centre-back. Upamecano made his name in RB Leipzig, a brilliant defender coming up the ranks. Upamecano is highly mobile as a defender, and his ability to track back and close down opponents is unparalleled.

Upamecano has already become a regular at Bayern Munich and has been an influential player so far. Upamecano is only 23 and has yet to enter his peak. However, a long time on his contract and his performances make him 'untouchable' for Bayern.

Upamecano has mostly started in the 23 appearances he has made across all competitions. While his defense has been on point, Upamecano has also contributed to the offense with one goal and four assists.

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#2 Jules Kounde - €60M

Kounde was hotly tipped to join Chelsea last summer

Over the last couple of years, Jules Kounde has been one of the hottest upcoming talents in football. Sevilla bet big on a young Kounde when they acquired him from French club, Bordeaux. So far, Kounde has already repaid all the time, money, and energy Sevilla has spent on him.

Kounde has excellent ball-playing abilities, but he is equally brilliant at tackling. He was called up in the recent Euro 2020 and even got minutes on the pitch. Chelsea were reportedly extremely close to signing him, but Sevilla managed to hold on to their talent.

It was reported that Kounde was reportedly miffed with the Sevilla board. But his performances haven't shown any impact from those misunderstandings, as Kounde has taken the pitch 25 times this season. He has scored one and assisted another but has been sublime at the back, putting Sevilla in second position in the table.

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#1 Kylian Mbappe - €160M

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain: Group A - UEFA Champions League

Only a footballer of Kylian Mbappe's stature can have a market valuation so high with less than six months left on his contract. A club can sign him without a transfer fee on a pre-contract right now as his contract with PSG gets over in the summer.

There will be no shortage of suitors given the current and potential ability that Mbappe has. The Frenchman can play well in any position on the attack. He is equally fast and lethal when it comes to scoring goals. Mbappe's gift of enormous pace, combined with exceptional dribbling, is a nightmare for the most gifted defenders.

Mbappe's contract situation may be uncertain, but his performance has been reassuring. He is arguably the best player for PSG this season and has already made 28 appearances. He has scored 19 goals and made 16 assists and looks already set to win another Ligue 1 at the least.