Aware of the inevitable departure of Nemanja Matic during this winter transfer window, Stade Rennais is in search of a midfield reinforcement in January.
In this perspective, the newspaper L’Equipe revealed three new leads on Tuesday. These leads point to Orel Mangala (Nottingham Forest), Artem Bondarenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), and former Lyon player, Lucas Tousart (Union Berlin). However, at the moment, it is mainly towards another target that the Breton leaders seem to be focusing their efforts on. On the airwaves of RMC, consultant Jean-Michel Larqué announced a « miraculous offer » made to Brest midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou.
INFO JML8
« Stade Rennais made a ‘miraculous offer’ to Pierre Lees-Melou. The player did not close the door. » #RMClive pic.twitter.com/shjTxZIzQY
— Rothen s’enflamme (@Rothensenflamme) January 16, 2024
At 30 years old, the former Nice player is in the form of his life and was one of the best defensive midfielders in Ligue 1 in the first half of the season. According to the same source, the Langon native has already reached an agreement with SRFC, which would triple or quadruple his salary. However, his club Brest, a surprising 3rd in Ligue 1, has no intention of letting go of a key player under contract until June 2027. And even less so to Rennes, a contender whose president Denis Le Saint did not appreciate their methods.
Ongoing Meeting
« I would have liked a more elegant approach. I was actually a bit surprised, but there you go. Normally, it shouldn’t happen between friendly clubs. It shouldn’t happen, so I was very upset and saddened, » stated the director on Sunday. Nevertheless, Lees-Melou’s desire to leave is real, and Larqué also announced an ongoing meeting on Tuesday between the player and his employer. While the Brest player is valued at 7 million euros by the specialized website Transfermarkt, the next few hours are expected to be crucial in this matter.