Rennes signs Eliezer Mayenda from Sunderland for €20 million

Stade Rennais will sign Eliezer Mayenda from Sunderland for approximately €20 million excluding bonuses, according to information from Fabrizio Romano published on Friday. The Spanish U21 international, 21, is set to sign a five-year contract with the Breton club, who finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season.

The profit made by Sunderland is considerable: the Black Cats had only spent €1 million to secure Mayenda from Sochaux in 2023. The former French club also retains a 25% sell-on clause, which will allow it to recover a significant share of the deal.

Last season in the English Championship was modest for the striker, who accumulated 1,004 minutes of play across 24 matches in all competitions. In twenty league appearances, he scored two goals, plus one assist in an FA Cup match against Everton. Rennes are therefore betting on a player who still needs to prove himself, whose potential had already attracted English scouts two years earlier.

Mayenda will join a Rennes attack undergoing reconstruction. He will reunite with Esteban Lepaul, whose contract extension until 2030 was made official on 25 June, as well as summer signings already registered: goalkeeper Nicolas Lemaitre, 19-year-old Portuguese defender Gonçalo Oliveira, winger Isa Soumaré arriving from Le Havre and midfielder Adrien Thomasson, signed in late May.

The Breton club has not finished its business in this transfer window. According to available information, the pursuit of right-back Bryan Reynolds is also nearing completion.