PARIS: France captain Hugo Lloris rejected the notion that transfer speculation surrounding international teammate Kylian Mbappe might 'affect his focus' with crucial World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia, Ukraine and Finland coming up over the next week.
The 22-year-old Mbappe, currently with Paris St.Germain, has been courted by Real Madrid over the summer transfer window and the Spanish giants were reportedly ready to offer Euros 200 million (US$ 236 million) for the player.
"We could see, you know, the first two days of the national team break, he's here with the smile and ready to help the team, ready to fight and to enjoy playing for the national team," Lloris said on Tuesday, ahead of Wednesday's Group D qualifier against Bosnia in Strasbourg.
Following the Bosnia game on Wednesday night, France travel to Ukraine on 4th September before returning home to take on Finland in Lyon three days later.