Currently 8th in Ligue 1, Stade de Reims is off to a good start to the season. The Champagne club is in the right car and only one point from 6th place, occupied by Lyon, which qualifies for the Europa Conference League play-offs.
Reims: Nakamura in great form
Reims is therefore totally in its objectives and it is in particular thanks to a certain Keito Nakamura. The Japanese striker has been the club's most decisive player since the start of the season. He has scored six goals and provided an assist in 12 Ligue 1 matches.
The 24-year-old, who arrived in August 2023 for 12 million euros, fully lives up to the expectations placed on him, after a fairly average first season of acclimatization.
The Valentin Atangana revelation
He is not the only revelation of this start of the season in Reims. Indeed, the young Valentin Atangana (19 years old) has just established himself as an indisputable starter in midfield.
Alternating between the status of supersub and that of starter last season, the Franco-Cameroonian midfielder is today a central element of Luka Elsner's midfield. He also played in all 12 Ligue 1 matches this season.
Reims: two executives in demand
With these performances, Nakamura and Atangana are of course starting to attract attention. Thus, France Bleu Champagne indicates that these two players are in demand as the winter transfer window approaches.
This does not necessarily mean that they will leave since Stade de Reims is not obliged to sell this winter. The Japanese and the French U21 international could thus stay after January in Reims.
Reims is open to departure if…
But, still according to the same source, the Champagne club should not oppose a departure if a good offer arises for one of these two players. The objective being for Reims to prepare the budget for next season, in a fairly difficult context surrounding French football.
But what is a good offer? Nothing is specified, but it seems difficult to imagine the Rémois selling Keito Nakamura, who is in the sights of OM, for less than 15 million euros as they bought him for 12 million euros ago a little over a year old.
While for Valentin Atangana, who trained at the club, his value is more difficult to define. Transfermarkt already estimates it at 5 million euros. Note that these two players are still under contract for a few years, 2028 for the Japanese and 2027 for the French.
Passionate about sport and from Toulouse, I am of course a supporter of the great TFC, which has more titles than OM and OL combined over the last ten years.
