While waiting to return in January to a brand new building, around ten Rennes players returned to the Piverdière and its works on Thursday, and it is also a new project which is starting after the downgrading of last season (10th in L1). Without Europe on the program, therefore, for the first time since 2018, but still in focus. A lot has changed since the end of May. Beyond a reformed board of directors with the entry of two grandsons of owner François Pinault, the major change was of course the departure of technical director Florian Maurice after four years in Rennes and six months after Bruno Genesio .
To succeed him, Rennes was able to attract the Franco-Italian Frederic Massara, 55, who worked in recruitment at Palermo, AS Roma and AC Milan. Officially, he is due to take up his duties on July 10, but he is already working on the reconstruction with Julien Stéphan, who extended his contract in March until 2026. Until then, it is mainly the departures that are resonating. Rennes has given up two future players, Jeanuël Belocian (Bayer Leverkusen, nearly €20 million) and Fabian Rieder (at the Euro with Switzerland, loaned with an option to buy for around €15 million to VfB Stuttgart), and Nantes is still in discussions with its neighbor to recover Matthis Abline (21 years old, 2026).
Priority to the renewal of defense
Others are wondering about their future in Rennes without Europe or risk being courted, from Arnaud Kalimuendo to Martin Terrier via Adrien Truffert, Amine Gouiri, Benjamin Bourigeaud and of course his brother Désiré, expected to be the biggest sale of the Rennes summer. After refusing to sell him to Frankfurt in January, Rennes will not block Kalimuendo in the event of a good opportunity. A departure is also the trend for right-back Lorenz Assignon (24 years old, 2027).
And if Rennes’ desire is to rely on Enzo Le Fée, the former Lorient midfielder, recruited a year ago for 20 million euros, is targeted by Florent Ghisolfi’s AS Rome, who could move on soon on the offensive. On the arrivals side, it seems very calm but there is activity behind the scenes to renew as a priority the 9th defense of L1 last season.
In the meantime, Stéphan met up with around ten players yesterday (Steve Mandanda, Gauthier Gallon, Warmed Omari, Mahamadou Nagida, Lorenz Assignon, Baptiste Santamaria, Enzo Le Fée, Azor Matusiwa, Ludovic Blas, Benjamin Bourigeaud, Martin Terrier and Mathis Lambourde, plus a few young players from the reserve team) for a battery of physical tests, before the return to the field on Monday. Others are expected later, notably those who are still at the Euro (Theate, Yildirim) or who are preparing for the Olympics (Kalimuendo, D. Doué, Truffert), if they are still in Rennes by then.
