Who is Lucas Gourna-Douath? The 'next Kante' wanted by Chelsea and Liverpool

Tom Weber

• Updated: 16 May 2024 13:42 BST
• 5 min read

Lucas Gourna-Douath has recently caught the eye of new French U21 coach Thierry Henry, but he has been a known commodity to skilled talent scouts for years.

The Red Bull Salzburg midfielder has been likened to N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba - despite their very different skillsets - and he is once again impressing after already being linked with a big-money move in the summer.

But who is Lucas Gourna-Douath and how good is he really?

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What position does Gourna-Douath play in?

Gourna-Douath is a defensive midfielder.

How good is Gourna-Douath?

A product of AS Saint-Etienne's academy, Gourna-Douath joined prolific talent producers RB Salzburg in the summer of 2022 for a whopping €13 million. The fact that the Red Bulls made him their record signing betrays how highly they rate him - and what they plan on doing with him. As they have done with so many talents in recent years, they are keen to flip the Frenchman for an astronomical profit.

However, Gourna-Douath decided to remain with the perennial Austrian champions despite being courted in the summer, and not taking that next step too soon has worked wonders for him. The midfielder has featured in all but one of Salzburg's games so far this term - only missing one through illness - and he played the full 90 minutes in most of them.

An assured presence at the base of midfield, the Frenchman is not afraid to get involved further forward, chipping in with two assists. Gourna-Douath had already played north of 60 Ligue 1 matches for Saint-Etienne as a teenager, so the fact that he is dominating in the Austrian league shouldn't be that surprising.

However, given that he is still only 20, the swagger he plays with is eye-catching and it is little surprise that he has been compared to N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, two players he says he idolises. What sets the youngster apart is the fact that he is a meticulous worker on and off the field, as he revealed in 2022.

“I had the information before anyone else. I knew our opponent for the weekend even though it was only Monday," he told Onze Mondial. I knew the championship program in advance. I knew the names of the other players. I watched all the matches on TV too." I knew lots of things that young people my age didn't know. That's why I was nicknamed 'the journalist.'"

"I was looking for information everywhere. My brother and I spent time on the computer at home. We went to the L'Équipe, League and District websites, we went to other players' Facebook pages, we searched everything and everywhere. We gathered so much information, it was incredible. We knew a lot of stuff.”

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What clubs are interested in Gourna-Douath?

Over the summer, Chelsea, Liverpool and Brighton were credited with an interest in the 20-year-old as they were, famously, all looking to sign a defensive midfielder.

Chelsea and Liverpool eyed him as a potential alternative to Moises Caicedo, while Brighton, once it became clear that the Ecuadorian would depart, looked at Gourna-Douath as a replacement before ultimately settling on Lille's Carlos Baleba.

Given his consistently impressive performances again this season, Gourna-Douath will once again be of interest to Europe's elite in the summer.

When does Gourna-Douath's contract expire?

Gourna-Douath's contract expires on June 30, 2027.

How old is Gourna-Douath?

Gourna-Douath was born on August 5, 2003, making him 20 years old.

What is Gourna-Douath's Instagram?

Gourna-Douath's Instagram account is @l.gourna27 and has 48.4k followers as of October 2023.

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