SportsCatch
EN

Rennes target Boulaye Dia to replace Embolo, sold to MLS for €17m

With Breel Embolo departing for Atlanta United for over €17 million, Stade Rennais has opened talks with Lazio Rome to sign Senegalese striker Boulaye Dia, valued at €5 million.

1 min read
Rennes target Boulaye Dia to replace Embolo, sold to MLS for €17m
Share

Stade Rennais has entered negotiations with Lazio Rome to recruit Boulaye Dia, according to Marca. The move comes as Embolo is set to leave the Breton club for Atlanta United, who are reportedly willing to spend over €17 million to secure his services.

The Swiss striker was placed in a loft at the start of the week alongside Alidu Seidu and Djaoui Cissé, a clear signal of a deliberate sidelining by Rennes management. The drastic measure quickly bore fruit: an MLS exit materialized for Embolo.

Boulaye Dia, 29, brings a familiar profile to the French league. The Senegalese international made 78 appearances for Stade de Reims between 2018 and 2021 before moving to Italy. Transfermarkt values him at €5 million; his contract with Lazio runs until 2028.

This deal is part of a more controlled summer transfer window than expected for Rennes. Despite interest from other clubs, the team has managed to retain its two most bankable players: Estéban Lepaul, Ligue 1’s top scorer last season with 21 goals, and Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal. A stability that contrasts with supporter concerns at the start of the transfer window.

Share
{# Sitewide native fullscreen interstitial — our own bet-CTA card blown up to a takeover (replaces the SDK overlay). The shared card animations + countdown load once, AFTER the interstitial markup, so the countdown script's first tick sees this card's node too (the in-read card, in
above, already exists). One include covers both surfaces. #}