N’Zonzi ‘wants to leave’ amid Barca links

Steven N’Zonzi wants to leave Sevilla this summer, the club’s sporting director has said.

Midfielder N’Zonzi, a World Cup winner with France, is a reported target for Barcelona, Roma and Arsenal after three successful seasons in Seville.

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“N’Zonzi wants to leave,” Sevilla sporting director Joaquin Caparros told Cadena Ser radio.

“But he is aware that he has two years left on his contract with us. At Sevilla, he’s become a national team player and has had the possibility to be a champion.”

Caparros said Sevilla would only consider selling N’Zonzi, who has a €40 million release clause, for the right price.

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“He is a footballer who is in the market and knows that he has to bring us an interesting offer in order for us to consider it,” he said. “If not, he is still under contract.”

N’Zonzi did not feature in Sevilla’s defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup on Sunday.

Nzonzi earned his first call up to the France U-21 team by coach Erick Mombaerts on 1 October 2009 for their European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Malta and Belgium. He made his debut eight days later in the first match, appearing as a 58th-minute substitute for Younousse Sankharé in a 2–0 victory.[He earned his first under-21 international start in the match against Belgium, which ended 0–0.

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In January 2011 he was called up to the national football team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to his origins but he did not want to commit to the international team due to structural problems at the administrative level. He did not rule out playing for the Congolese national team in the future. He again turned DR Congo down in November 2012.

In August 2016, Nzonzi’s father contacted new England manager Sam Allardyce – who had signed him for Blackburn in 2009 – to inquire whether he was eligible to represent England. Although he had completed more than the five years’ necessary residency in the United Kingdom, Nzonzi was ineligible to switch allegiance as he was not eligible for England when he made his debut for France under-21.

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On 2 November 2017, Nzonzi was called up to the French senior national team for the first time, for friendly matches against Germany and Wales.

He made his debut against the Welsh in a 2–0 win at the Stade de France on 10 November, as a half-time substitute for Corentin Tolisso.

Nzonzi was part of France’s squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In the final, he came on as a substitute for the booked N’Golo Kanté after 55 minutes of a 4–2 win over Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium.

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Nzonzi plays in a defensive role in centre midfield and is noted for being calm and composed whilst in possession and having a good passing ability. He has earned comparisons to compatriot Patrick Vieira both in style and physical ability. He is also able to cover great distance during a match.

In September 2013 Nzonzi was interviewed by police after he was involved in a collision with a cyclist in Hale, Greater Manchester. In October 2015 Nzonzi was ordered to stand trial after allegedly assaulting his wife.He was cleared of the charges in December 2015.

Nzonzi has previously commented on the common misstyling of his name as Steven N’Zonzi.

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