Chelsea will be one of many clubs affected by this summer's Olympics in France, after manager Thierry Henry named his long-awaited national squad on Monday.
France are the favourites to win the tournament, which runs from July 24 to August 10, and are led by manager Henry and boast a talented squad with Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann all considered favourites to be included in the squad, but have not been called up.
However, there are a number of notable names in the 25-man squad, including Chelsea's Leslie Ugochukwu, the 20-year-old who joined the Blues from Rennes last summer but was limited to just 15 appearances due to injury.
After four months on the sidelines, the midfielder featured in the final games of the season against Brighton and AFC Bournemouth, but his selection in France's Olympic squad means he will not be available for manager Enzo Maresca's selection at the start of the season.
The Italian is set to be appointed the new Stamford Bridge manager but Ugochukwu is likely to be an absent player in the opening week of the season.
As Olympic football has not been ratified or officially recognised by FIFA, clubs have the power to block players from being called up. Despite Ugochukwu's call-up, Benoit Badiashile and Malogst have reportedly been blocked from playing for Henry's squad.
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According to the Mirror, the defender is set to remain at Chelsea for the duration of the Olympics, with Enzo Fernandez also among those likely to represent Argentina at this summer's tournament.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly given his approval for the midfielder to join, but Maresca is said to be keen to keep him in the squad to maximise his chances of maximising his ability to get started on life in west London.
