Despite being a guaranteed starter during the first part of the season under Bruno Genésio, Assignon suffered from Julien Stéphan’s nomination last winter. The Frenchman was immediately set as a surplus to requirements, leading to a departure on loan to Burnley during the winter transfer window. Assignon immediately became a starter at the Premier League side, who were desperate to activate the €10M buy option at the end of the season, but the right-back refused to remain with the Clarets following their relegation from the Premier League. Following starter left-back Jeanuel Belocian (19) and right-back Guéla Doué (21) respectively to Bayer Leverkusen and FC Strasbourg Alsace, Assignon started against Olympique Lyonnais for Rennes’ stunning 3-0 win in Ligue 1’s opening matchday. However, the 24-year-old defender isn’t set to stay in Brittany and could join former Stade Rennais player Enzo Le Fée in the Italian capital. 

According to a report by Gazzetta Dello Sport, AS Roma are close to sealing the deal for Lorenz Assignon, who will be in competition with former Lille defender Zeki Celik. The Italian outlet reveals that Rennes’ defender will sign on a €1.5M loan deal, with a €8.5M mandatory option at the end of the season. Assignon was also targeted by Aston Villa this summer, who tried to rival AS Roma to sign the defender, who still has three years on his current deal. 

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One of the clubs being the most impacted by Ligue 1’s TV rights issues, Montpellier need to raise funds this summer, and will be forced to sell some of their best players in order to avoid being in trouble financially. While the Southern club was expected to receive lots of interest for France U23 international Joris Chotard (22) or other key players such as Téji Savanier (32) and Arnaud Nordin (26), none of them has gathered proper interest yet. Becir Omeragic (22) has long been targeted by Everton, but Montpellier could now offload one of their brightest talents. 

According to a report by L’Equipe, Fayad is gathering lots of interest in Ligue 1 and abroad, with Borussia Mönchengladbach, RC Lens, AS Monaco, and Stade Rennais all targeting a move for the 20-year-old midfielder. Last season, Fayad took part in 26 games across all competitions, logging three goals. 

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In the past few years, Reims have been known for being an interesting stepping stone for young, talented players before joining a bigger club and bringing money to the Champagne side. Players such as Wout Faes (26), Azor Matusiwa (26), Axel Disasi (26), Jens Cajuste (24), and Edouard Mendy (32), among others, have all joined the club before being sold for massive profits in recent years. Richardson could be another example this summer as the young midfielder has been one of the revelations of the football tournament at the Olympics. With Morocco set to face Spain on Monday with a ticket for the final up to grab, the left-footed midfielder could have another chance to convince Tottenham to make a formal proposal. 

According to Foot Mercato, Tottenham have added Richardson’s name to their shortlist and are keeping a close eye on his recent performances at the Olympics. The Morocco U23 international was signed on a €2M deal from Le Havre back in 2022 but spent another season on loan with his formative club, helping them to be promoted to Ligue 1 by winning the French second tier. In his first season at Reims, Richardson was used sporadically by Will Still, enjoying 12 starts in the 28 games he took part in. Despite being mostly used as a defensive midfielder, he logged three goals and an assist. Richardson’s current deal runs until 2027, and it remains to be seen if Reims will allow their young talent to leave. 

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Rennes have been one of Ligue 1’s most active clubs so far, gaining around €70M in the sales of Martin Terrier (27), Jeanuel Belocian (19), Enzo le Fée (24) and Guéla Doué (21), while older brother Désiré Doué is still expected to leave, just as Arthur Theate, whose replacement has already been officialised with the Brittany side recruiting Leo Østigård from Naples. Despite having already signed two central midfielders with Albert Gronbaek (23) arriving from Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt and Glen Kamara (28) coming from Leeds United, Rennes are on the verge of completing the transfer of another midfielder. 

With Le Fée transferred to AS Roma and Fabian Rieder (22) loaned out to VfB Stuttgart, Rennes had to strengthen their midfield, which has been done with the recruitment of Norwegian talent Gronbaek and experienced Finland international Kamara. However, the Brittany side is reportedly still looking to add depth to a midfield where Baptiste Santamaria (29) is a guaranteed starter and should play alongside either Kamara, Gronbaek or Azor Matusiwa (26). According to Foot Mercato, Les Rouges et Noirs are set to sign Hateboer on a permanent transfer. The Netherlands international is however quite versatile and can be used as a right-back. With Guéla Doué’s transfer to Strasbourg, Rennes was on the market for a potential replacement, it seems to be done now, as Hateboer should leave Atalanta after eight seasons spent in Lombardy. 

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Over the past two years, Alexandre Mendy made a name for himself in France’s second tier, scoring consecutive 19 goals and 22 goals. If it was unsuccessful to bring back the club to Ligue 1 on both occasions, the former Bordeaux’s striker earned the award of the championship’s top scorer last season. Performances that caught the eyes of Sunderland, who are looking to strengthen their offensive unit by recruiting the experienced centre-forward. An agreement was found between all parties, with Mendy being excited to live his first experience abroad. However, in the space of a few days, Caen’s future and ambitions have been totally revamped, as Kylian Mbappé invested €20M to take the majority ownership of the Normandy club and would obviously be keen on keeping the club’s star player, who isn’t on the same page and wants his move to be completed. 

“My destination has been known since June, I’m waiting to leave.”

In an interview with Foot Mercato, Mendy opened up on his situation, and asked his club to allow him to join Sunderland: “I don’t want to force my way out of the club but, today, I’m very affected by this situation, I don’t understand, I feel wronged and betrayed,” he said. “I’ve had my mind made up since January and my destination has been known since June. I’m waiting to leave, new investors have arrived and I’m at their complete disposal. My agent is continuing to do his job, and I’m leaving him to it. In my mind, I’m no longer here because since my last match and my farewell at the Stade d’Ornano, I don’t want to cheat my partners, the club or the fans. There’s no clash, I’m just relying on the word and commitments of my managers and I have complete confidence in them. I repeat, I am at the disposal of the new management to explain my choice. It’s the reward for my hard work and investment, and I hope that everyone will respect their commitments.”

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With Désiré Doué (19) close to leaving  his formative club this summer, Rennes have set the recruitment of another winger one of their top priorities this summer. After having completed the signing of Leo Østigard from Naples to strengthen their backline, the Brittany outfit is now keen on preventing the departure of Doué and adding depth and quality to their offensive unit. One of EFL Championship’s sensations last season, Asprilla ranked high in Rennes’ shortlist, with the Colombian even travelling to France, but the deal is now set to collapse. 

According to Foot Mercato, Rennes face fierce competition to sign Asprilla. FC Porto are also targeting the right winger, who logged six goals and seven assists in the EFL Championship last season, as one of their top priorities. However, Asprilla could remain in England, as the French outlet reveals that he is on his way to Leicester while, in the meantime, his agents are negotiating a deal that could end up around €25M. Despite huge hopes to land the Colombian sensation, Rennes might have to set their sights on another profile. 

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Only a few days before facing José Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the UEFA Champions League’s third qualifying round, Lille are pushing forward on the transfer market. After a slow start in July, with only three signings, Ethan Mbappé (17), Ngal’Ayel Mukau (19) and Thomas Meunier (32), all set to have a minor role this, the Northern side have announced two new signings on Thursday. After Aïssa Mandi (32) on a free transfer from Villareal, Les Dogues have completed their first major signing of the summer with the Norwegian left-winger Sahraoui.

Last season, Sahraoui had a standout season at Heerenveen, logging eight goals and four assists. The right-footed winger signed a five-year deal with Lille, who invested €8M to convince Heerenveen to let go of their star player, who had two years remaining on his deal. With Sahraoui’s recruitment, Lille strengthened an offensive unit that had been weakened by the departures of Adam Ounas (27) and Yusuf Yazici (27) following their contract expiry.

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Only a few hours after having presented their first three signings to the media, Lille have officially announced a fourth recruitment this summer. After Ethan Mbappé (17) and Ngal’Ayel Mukau (19), Les Dogues are now bringing some experience to their squad, with Thomas Meunier (32) and Mandi. Last season, the Algerian centre-back was used sporadically by Marcelinho at Villareal, taking part in 22 games across all competitions. However, his experience on national, continental and international stages convinced Lille to sign him.

With Mandi having mutually parted ways with Villareal in order to sign to Lille, Les Dogues have registered their third free signing of the summer so far. The experienced defender returns to Ligue 1 for the first time since leaving Stade de Reims in 2016 and has signed for two years with the Northern side, where he is expected to play a backup role similar to the one of Samuel Umtiti (35) last season. 

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In December 2020, Olivier Létang sealed Lille’s takeover from Gérard Lopez, saving the club from a certain bankruptcy, if not worse. The Luxembourg businessman had accumulated massive debts throughout the years, and was threatened by Merlyn Partners, the holding firm that owned Les Dogues, as he was unable to refund the loan he had contracted since buying the club from iconic president Michel Seydoux in 2017. The former PSG sporting director slammed Lopez’s management, who is responsible for the bankruptcy of multiple clubs and institutions, such as Lotus F1 Team, Belgium outfit Mouscron-Péruwelz, and Bordeaux, while Portuguese outfit Boavista could have the same fate soon. “I’m thinking of the fans of Mouscron, Bordeaux, Boavista… LOSC is a great 80-year-old club, but it should have died at 77. When you see Mouscron a few years ago, and now Bordeaux also on the verge of being liquidated… They are assets, territories. They are part of our heritage. I think that’s terrible,” said Lille’s president. 

‘How a club like Girondins de Bordeaux could have been entrusted to this person’

Since his arrival in December 2020, Olivier Létang managed to completely turn around Lille’s financial balance, reducing considerably the Northern side’s debts while still being competitive and clinching European qualification. Les Dogues’ president revealed that he predicted what would happen to Bordeaux years ago when Lopez took over the Maritimes: “I’d really like someone to take responsibility and explain to me how a club like Girondins de Bordeaux could have been entrusted to this person. As far as I’m concerned, it’s lunar, lunar! All it took was one phone call. To tell you the truth, two years ago, an elected official from the Bordeaux region called me. He said to me, ‘Lopez, what should I do?’ I told him, ‘Don’t take the risk. The outcome is certain.’ Now, two years later, exactly what I predicted is happening. And then I told the Senate, I’m a French taxpayer, not him. And public funds have been committed. I find it disgusting and irresponsible, but once again the chain of responsibility is clear. How could we allow this man to take over Girondins de Bordeaux?”

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Walking in the steps of his brother, Ethan Mbappé emerged through PSG’s youth categories, even making his professional debut last season at home against FC Metz. In total, the central midfielder took part in five games across all competitions with the first team, while being a key player for the reserve team despite a nightmarish campaign in the UEFA Youth League, which saw the Capital club finish last in the group stage and exit the competition before the knockout stage. If Ethan could have renewed his contract to pursue his development at PSG’s state-of-the art facilities or could have joined his brother at Real Madrid, he decided to walk in the steps of former PSG Academy players Mike Maignan, Jonathan Ikoné, and Fodé Balo-Touré by joining Lille. 

‘People will criticise you and expect you to be like your brother’

Presented to the media on Thursday alongside other signings Thomas Meunier (32) and Ngal’Ayel Mukau (19), Ethan Mbappé opened up on his departure from his formative club. “I had to create my own path, my own story. At PSG, I would have stayed in my brother’s shadow. I think LOSC is the right choice for that” he said. The right-footed midfielder also admitted the difficulties of bearing Mbappé’s name, having to cope with comparison and critics: “It’s complicated at the beginning because you always have to be good, people will criticise you and expect you to be like your brother, when that’s not the case. It’s a difficult name to live up to, but I manage it perfectly. I’m trying to write my story.”

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