Rennes have reportedly had a proposal rejected for rumoured Arsenal target Manuel Akanji, with the French club keen to sign a replacement Nayef Aguerd after his move to West Ham earlier in the window.
According to Foot Mercato, the departure of Aguerd to east London has caused more problems than initially thought, with Rennes struggling to replace the Moroccan international, who signed for West Ham in the early stages of the summer transfer window.
Labelled as a player Rennes are now viewing as ‘irreplaceable’, Aguerd’s absence is being felt majorly by Rennes, who have now had a proposal rejected by Borussia Dortmund to sign Akanji, who is also on Arsenal’s radar this summer as the Swiss defender looks set to leave Germany in the coming weeks.
Reports suggest that Dortmund will accept offers of around £25m for Akanji, yet whilst Rennes could match this transfer fee after what they received for Aguerd, their latest move to sign the 27-year-old centre-back has been shot down by the Bundesliga giants, a decision which could be a boost for the Gunners.
Indeed, Arsenal could move to sign a centre-back this summer with Pablo Mari set to leave north London at some point in this window, though with Mikel Arteta’s side currently spending the most out of any Premier League side, a move for Akanji feels unlikely at this point.
Moreover, backup to the likes of Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka appears to be on Arsenal’s transfer list, with the Gunners keen to flesh out their squad with quality options in reserves, meaning Akanji could be off the table given how many players the Premier League side have at centre-back.
Rennes should go back in to sign Akanji with Arsenal’s interests elsewhere
Rennes are in the money after the sale of Aguerd to West Ham, and with Akanji looking to leave Dortmund for a new challenge, Ligue 1 could be a good opportunity for the Swiss international ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where the defender is expected to be a star player for Switzerland.
Whilst Dortmund have already shot down Rennes, this shouldn’t put off the French club from trying to sign Akanji, especially with Arsenal looking at other targets in the final month of the summer transfer window.
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