Eliezer Mayenda nears Rennes move after Sunderland agree fee | OneFootball

According to Sunderland Echo, Sunderland have agreed a deal with Stade Rennais for Eliezer Mayenda. It is not yet signed, though the transfer is expected to go through.

It is a reluctant sale yet one that could suit all parties. Mayenda’s 2025/26 did not match the opening-day high against West Ham United, but he remains highly rated and popular.

He considered leaving in the second half of last season as Brian Brobbey excelled and starts looked scarce. Wilson Isidor also finished strongly and moved ahead in Régis Le Bris’s plans.

Rennes are in the Europa League and have a bold project after recent underachievement, aiming to push towards the Champions League. Mayenda would arrive as a senior option with the consistency demands he wants, and Franck Haise has often used two strikers.

The package is understood to be about £22 million with performance add-ons, and Sochaux retain a sizeable sell-on. Signed for just under €1 million in 2023, he will still yield a large profit that strengthens Sunderland’s SCR across this and the next window.

Ideally Sunderland would have kept or loaned him, but SCR and UEFA’s stricter rules make this offer hard to ignore. Interim CEO Tom Burwell said last month the club would need to be shrewd this summer, and the deal lets Sunderland reinvest while giving Mayenda the platform to kick on.

Source: Sunderland Echo