Rennes 2026 salaries, leaner outlay but conditions remain comfortable | OneFootball

Rennes have cut costs yet kept attractive pay, with Breel Embolo and Valentin Rongier reshaping the wage hierarchy and the average salary down 20% this season. According to L'Équipe, they need a return to Europe next season after two flat campaigns.

With Seko Fofana on an estimated €400,000 gross and loaned to Porto, which would cover a large share of his wages, Brice Samba stands alone at the top on €400,000. Embolo earns €350,000, Rongier €275,000. These figures are fixed, excluding bonuses.

Mahdi Camara and Lilian Brassier also sit high on the scale, with Sebastien Szymanski on €220,000 and Ludovic Blas on €200,000. Quentin Merlin is on €185,000, Anthony Rouault €170,000 and Alidu Seidu €160,000. Estéban Lepaul is about €110,000, Djaoui Cissé €100,000 and Jérémy Jacquet €120,000, who should quadruple his pay at Liverpool next summer.

The players’ wage bill has fallen from about €70m gross to a little over €50m in two years. Last season’s average salary was around €150,000 gross, down 20% this term. That reflects a leaner squad, with 26 departures and 7 arrivals last summer, and greater reliance on academy graduates.

Sales across the past two windows total roughly €200m, including a €70m sale of Jacquet to Liverpool for next season, with about €90m spent on signings. The squad has been rebuilt over the past year around Ligue 1 stalwarts and academy talent, with Fofana, Samba, Rouault and Brassier in January 2025, then Rongier and Embolo last summer. Backed by the Pinault family and president Arnaud Pouille, Rennes have cushioned TV-rights erosion with big sales and about €11m from international rights, working off a budget near €130m.

Source: L'Équipe