Senegal have convinced two France youth players to join their ranks and they are going after another, Pape Thiaw has revealed. 

On Thursday, Mamadou Sarr (20) and Ibrahim Mbaye (17) were called up to the Senegal national team for the first time. Sarr, on loan at RC Strasbourg Alsace from Chelsea, and Mbaye, a Paris Saint-Germain academy product, had both played for the France U20 squad, but both will now represent Senegal at senior level. 

Olympique de Marseille’s Robinio Vaz (18) is also a target for the Senegal national team, Thiaw revealed in Thursday’s press conference. Vaz has made a breakthrough into OM’s first team this season and has four goals in 10 Ligue 1 appearances. 

His form has caught the eye of the Senegal selectors. Like Sarr and Mbaye, Vaz is a France U20 international, but Senegal have opened talks with the young centre-forward. “It’s a national request. I have become closer to his family. Talks are ongoing. We’ll see,” said Thiaw in a press conference.