Rennes close to agreeing €25m deal with Sunderland for Eliezer Mayenda’s transfer | OneFootball

Stade Rennais FC are reportedly very close to finalising a deal with AFC Sunderland for the transfer of Eliezer Mayenda (21), according to Foot Mercato. The deal is expected to bring the English club a sum of around €25m, bonuses included.

A product of the renowned FC Sochaux-Montbéliard academy – where he remains the youngest player in the club’s history to have appeared in a professional match – the Spanish forward, an Under-21 international (nine caps, two goals), moved to the UK in the summer of 2023.

Loaned to Hibernian FC a few months later, from February to May 2024, Mayenda subsequently played a pivotal role in the Black Cats’ return to the top flight of English football at the end of the 2024-25 season, proving decisive on 15 occasions (10 goals, five assists) in 41 appearances across all competitions.

Although he featured less regularly during the 2025-26 campaign, the Zaragoza-born player nevertheless made 20 Premier League appearances (eight as a starter) and found the net on two occasions. And although his contract with Sunderland runs until 2030, the time now seems right for him to take his game to the next level, so that he can establish himself as a first-team regular at an ambitious club such as SRFC.

GFFN | Léo Aschi