Rennes have no intention of selling Desire Doue to Newcastle United after the midfielder’s agent confirmed interest from the Premier League giants.
What do Eduardo Camavinga, Nayef Aguerd, Ousmane Dembele, Loic Bade, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Edouard Mendy, Raphinha, Ismaila Sarr, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel all have in common?
Well, they all made their name at Stade de Rennais in France’s Ligue 1. Their respective departures earning the Brittany-based club over £200 million in revenue.
With Ouest France now reporting that Newcastle United are willing to add a further £25 million to Rennes’ coffers for Desire Doue, the 18-year-old wonderkid could potentially become the latest in a long line of Roazhon Park graduates to make a name for himself at the top of the European game.
Not that Rennes currently have any interest in cashing in on the France U19 international, it must be said.
£25 million is a lot of money to turn down for a player with only 11 senior league starts under his belt. But perhaps Rennes feel that, following another year or two of first-team football, the 2005-born Doue will be worth double.
Maybe even triple.
Newcastle United are big fans of Desire Doue
“I know Newcastle came to watch him,” Doue’s agent – the former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre – told The Independent this month. “(They) were in touch with us.
“Like a lot of clubs in Europe when they scout, they come and try and speak to the entourage and get a feeling and try to understand what the situation is.”
“It’s not necessarily about the contractual situation but also what’s going on in the life of the player as much as possible before they make a move.”
Doue’s poise, confidence and supreme technical ability have drawn somewhat inevitable comparisons with another Rennes-taught playmaker who also found himself running the Ligue 1 show when barely out of short trousers; Camavinga now a Champions League winner with Real Madrid.
‘He ha a great future
“Every time he comes on, he brings great energy and intensity,” Rennes coach Bruno Genesio tells BeIN Sports of a player who recently became the first born in 2005 ever to score in one of Europe’s top-five leagues.
“Of course, he has plenty to work on. But he’s open to advice and progressing well. What’s great is that he’s progressing quicker than we would’ve expected. It’s positive. Now he has to keep his feet on the ground and keep doing what he’s doing. If he does, he has a great future ahead of him.”
“Physically, he is already equipped. He reads the game very well. Technically, right foot and even left foot, he’s complete, with good control on both. Away from the pitch he’s a dream. Easy, calm, with a streak of leadership whilst still asking for advice.
“He’s both care-free and conscientious in his work. He’s already a pro in his head.”
Newcastle are reportedly willing to stump up a similar fee for another teenage, Ligue 1 enforcer; Lille’s Carlos Baleba.
Sandro Tonali, meanwhile, is on the verge of joining from AC Milan for £60 million.
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