"We’ll see what we can do" - Thierry Henry confirms Real Madrid's decision over letting players join Olympics squad

France U-21 manager Thierry Henry recently confirmed that Spanish giants Real Madrid have turned down his request to release players for the 2024 Olympics. Henry will lead France's contingent at the football event of the quadrennial sports competition in the summer.

With the Olympics set to take place in Paris, France have received an automatic entry into the group stage of the competition as hosts. Although the age limit for the Olympics is set at 23, three overage players are allowed in each nation's squad.

Real Madrid have three French players in their first-team squad, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Ferland Mendy, all of whom could feature for their country. The Spanish club has, however, ruled out their players from the tournament, which will take place immediately after the Euros.

France legend Thierry Henry recently stated that he expected Real Madrid to reject the request. However, he added that he will keep trying to reach an agreement with Los Blancos. Henry said (via MAdrid Xtra on X):

“I knew it was going to be difficult […] I saw the rejection e-mail, I knew it was coming, I don’t stop at no, we’ll see what we can do, but it’s getting difficult.”

12 of the 16 teams participating in the men's football competition have already been confirmed, while the remaining four will be announced before the tournament. Egypt, Mali, Dominican Republic, Morocco, USA, Argentina, Paraguay, Israel, Spain, New Zealand, and Ukraine will join France at the Olympics.

The tournament will take place between 24 July and 10 August, cutting into pre-season and the start of the season for European clubs. Since the tournament is not in an official FIFA window, clubs can prevent their players from participating.

Thierry Henry set to extend invitation to Arsenal star for Olympics

France U-21 manager Thierry Henry is set to invite Arsenal centre-back William Saliba to his squad for this summer's Olympics, as per Daily Cannon. The 22-year-old is eligible to participate in the tournament on home soil as Henry seeks his strongest possible squad.

Saliba turned down an earlier invitation to feature in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in a bid to feature for Arsenal in pre-season. The former Saint-Etienne defender is reportedly one of the leading names on Thierry Henry's mind as he looks to assemble his 18-man team.

Arsenal would likely reject the request of their former captain and record goal-scorer, as this would mean Saliba missing the start of the season. The defender could, however, push to be involved in the Olympics on home soil.