6) Simon Kjaer (Lille)
The Danish international might still only be 25, but he has already attracted plenty of attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. His time with Lille was preceded by spells with Palermo, Wolfsburg and Roma.
5) Romain Hamouma (Saint-Etienne)
The 27-year-old winger has worked his way up from the lower echelons of French football, starting with Racing Besancon and moving to Stade Lavallois, Caen and eventually Saint-Etienne.