Rennes Reject Fulham's €40M Offer and Keep Aït Boudlal

Stade Rennais refused to sell Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal this summer, turning down an offer of approximately €40 million from Fulham for the 20-year-old Moroccan defender. The club’s sporting director, Loïc Désiré, confirmed the approximate amount of the proposal to newspaper Ouest-France following the close of the transfer window.

“It’s not far off that,” Désiré acknowledged, while highlighting the difference with the Jérémy Jacquet case, who was transferred to Liverpool in January after a contract extension quickly wrapped up the previous summer. For the Rennes executive, keeping Aït Boudlal sends a clear message about the club’s sporting policy: “It’s a sign that Stade Rennais doesn’t sell all its best young players too early, that ownership is strong.”

Désiré also emphasized the human dimension of the decision. “On certain departures, there are timings to respect. It’s also a strong signal of confidence towards Abdelhamid. He never directly told us he wanted to leave, and the club has always been very firm.” The sporting director now hopes the player can focus fully on the current season: “Since Tuesday, he must have his head 100% at Stade Rennais, perhaps it was only at 80% before.”

This choice reflects a mixed summer transfer window for Rennes. The club recorded the arrivals of Boulaye Dia, Charlie Cresswell, Adrien Thomasson and Eliezer Mayenda, while the departures of Breel Embolo, Lilian Brassier and Jérémy Jacquet boosted the coffers. The contract extension of Lepaul, cited by Désiré as another example of this directive, confirms the club’s desire to build on its young talent rather than sell them at the first sign of pressure.