Stade Rennais have reached an agreement with Sunderland for the transfer of forward Eliezer Mayenda, with the fee expected to be between €20 and €25 million including potential bonuses, according to L’Équipe. The 21-year-old, born in Zaragoza, Spain, is set to return to France after a period in English football.
Mayenda’s move to Brittany comes despite interest from several clubs in Spain’s La Liga, including Real Betis Seville, as well as teams in Germany’s Bundesliga. Paris FC had also recently renewed their interest in the player, having previously targeted him last summer, and other French clubs were monitoring his situation. Ultimately, Rennes secured the signing of a key player for the Spanish Under-21 national team.
Mayenda’s footballing journey has been marked by frequent moves. The son of a Congolese father and a Togolese mother, he spent his early years in Spain before relocating to the Paris region around the age of ten. He joined the Sochaux academy in 2019, becoming the youngest player to sign a professional contract with the club at 16 years and 8 months old, surpassing the previous record held by Jérémy Ménez. He made 15 appearances in Ligue 2 during the 2022-2023 season before moving to Sunderland.
His time at Sunderland was split between six months with the first team and a loan spell at Hibernian in Scotland, where he played four matches. Despite limited playing time under Régis Le Bris last season, making only eight starts in the Championship, Mayenda had previously impressed during Sunderland’s promotion campaign. He scored 10 goals in the second tier, including crucial strikes in both legs of the play-off semi-final and final. One goal against Bristol City, in particular, stood out for its individual brilliance, as he dribbled from his own half to score.
Mayenda is a regular for the Spanish Under-21 team, with two goals in nine appearances, and has also trained with the senior Spanish national team, the current European champions. While France initially showed interest in the player when he was 16, he ultimately chose to represent Spain after being approached by Under-17 coach Julen Guerrero, a former Athletic Bilbao star. Guerrero highlighted Mayenda’s power, speed, and versatility as key attributes, noting his ability to play across the forward line and provide a different dynamic to possession-based Spanish football. Rennes will now look to benefit from his unique skillset.
