Rennes Beat Ajax And Man Utd To Ghanaian Prodigy Sulemana Signing

Rennes have paid an initial €15m fee to the Danish outfit for the 19-year-old, who has won two caps for the Ghana national team.

Sulemana joined Nordsjaelland from the Right To Dream academy in Ghana in January 2020 and scored 10 goals in 29 Danish Superliga games last season.

For some time it looked like Ajax were going to be the next destination for Sulemana but Rennes swooped with a last minute offer to steal him from under the noses of the Dutch champions. Manchester United were also interested in his services.

“I am very happy to join Stade Rennais FC, a very good French club," Sulemana said. "The project meets my expectations. The Ligue 1 Uber Eats is one of the best leagues in Europe.

"There is a very good team in Rennes, a lot of talent. I know the club is famous for its training. For a young player like me, it is the best choice to progress.

"I have come to help the team achieve their goals. It is a great challenge to take up."

Rennes technical director Florian Maurice added: “We wanted to strengthen our attack. He is a player capable of evolving both on the sides but also in the axis. He scores goals and knows how to make the last pass."

"He has enormous qualities, he has speed and percussion. He can make differences.

"It was important for us to bring an additional offensive weapon to the team. This is good news for the club. He is a great recruit because he is a player who was in demand. We managed to do what was necessary to attract him to Rennes, which at the beginning was not necessarily something obvious.

"We were in competition with clubs like Ajax and others in the Premier League. We show that we are able to attract players of this standing. It is a satisfaction for the whole club."

Sulemana will become the fourth Ghanaian player to play for Rennes after John Mensah, Asamoah Gyan and John Boye.