Super Eagles: Nigeria suffer fresh blow in race with France for ex-Chelsea star

Nigeria have suffered a fresh setback in their hopes of convincing Lesley Ugochukwu to switch his international allegiance to the Super Eagles, Soccernet.ng reports.

France Under-21 coach Gérald Baticle has included the Galatasaray midfielder in his latest 25-man squad for the final matches of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2027 qualifying campaign.

The French Football Federation announced the squad on Friday, September 18, with Ugochukwu named among the midfielders selected for four matches between September 25 and October 6.

The selection comes at a significant point in the 22-year-old's international career because Nigeria has been linked with efforts to persuade him to represent the Super Eagles at senior level.

France will face Iceland in Reykjavík on September 25, Estonia in Pärnu on September 29, Luxembourg in Orléans on October 3 and Switzerland in Orléans on October 6.

Super Eagles: Ugochukwu's France connection remains strong

Ugochukwu has been a regular part of France's youth teams for several years and has already played 12 matches for the country's Under-21 side.

The former Chelsea midfielder has started all 12 of his U21 appearances, playing 973 minutes, while five of those appearances have come in the current Euro 2027 qualifying campaign.

His latest call-up therefore keeps him firmly involved in the French youth setup despite reports of growing interest from Nigeria.

Ugochukwu was born in Rennes on March 26, 2004, and developed at Stade Rennais before Chelsea signed him in 2023. He joined the Stamford Bridge giants from Rennes on a seven-year contract after making 67 senior appearances for the French club.

He made 15 appearances for Chelsea during his first season and later spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Southampton, where he played 31 times in all competitions.

Burnley subsequently completed his permanent transfer before sending him to Galatasaray on a season-long loan in July 2026. Galatasaray agreed to pay £3 million for the loan, with a conditional £22.5 million purchase fee.

The midfielder's Nigerian connection comes through his family. His uncle, Onyekachi Apam, was a former Super Eagles defender who also played for Rennes and represented Nigeria at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Reports in July said Ugochukwu had started steps towards obtaining a Nigerian passport and was considering a switch to Nigeria. However, those reports have not been followed by an official announcement that he has completed a change of association.

The situation is particularly important because Ugochukwu has not played a competitive senior international match for France, leaving the international door open under the applicable FIFA eligibility rules.

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle will, however, not lose sleep over the developments around Ugochukwu. The Malian tactician can currently count on the talents of experienced midfielders like Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika in the national team.

Several youngsters like Ebenezer Akinsanmiro and Tochukwu Nnadi are also forcing their way into the Super Eagles picture, providing long-term options for the three-time African champions.