Houssem Aouar set to opt to play for Algeria

Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Houssem Aouar (24) is set to announce that he has opted to represent Algeria, rather than France, at international level, according to L’Équipe. 

Aouar has been strongly coveted by the Algerian football federation, and it seems that their perseverance is set to be rewarded with the player set to commit to playing for the African team in the coming hours. However, despite the upcoming announcement, there is no guarantee that Aouar will make the Algeria squad for the team’s upcoming fixtures with the player coming back from injury and not yet reaching full fitness.

Aouar made one appearance for Les Bleus, but as it was a friendly, against Ukraine back in 2020, he is not tied to representing France and was therefore free to opt to represent another country. He is now set to benefit from the freedom to represent another country, by playing for Algeria, his parent’s native country. 

Whilst Aouar’s international future looks set to be resolved, his club future remains up in the air. Having come through the academy at Lyon, he now looks set to leave Les Gones. His Lyon contract expires at the end of the season, and he is set to move on a free. Napoli, AS Roma, Real Betis and Eintracht Frankfurt are all interested in the player, according to Foot Mercato. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle