Ligue 1: Rennes set to sign two promising 17-year-old French talents

Rennes is continuing to bolster its promising young talents by promoting goalkeeper Ayoub Akabou (17 years old) and midfielder Lucas Rosier (17 years old) to professional status.

The club is actively working to extend contracts for its young stars.

After recently announcing the first professional contracts for Mohamed Kader Meïté (striker, 17 years old) and Yaël Thébault (right back, 17 years old), Rennes is set to make further announcements regarding new signings.

According to leparisien, an agreement has been reached with goalkeeper Ayoub Akabou.

He was discovered in Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis), his hometown, and previously trained at INF Clairefontaine under the guidance of Franck Raviot, the goalkeeping coach for the French national team.

Akabou, 17, close to signing with Rennes

The talented 17-year-old is on the verge of signing his first professional contract with Stade Rennais.

Recognized as one of the top goalkeepers of his generation, Akabou has attracted interest from clubs like Barcelona and Liverpool.

He has represented France at the U16, U17, and U18 levels, playing alongside Parisian Ibrahim Mbaye. During the recent tournament in Limoges, the 1m94 tall goalkeeper showcased his skills.

Having been called up multiple times to train with Steve Mandanda and the other goalkeepers of the Rennes first team, he has expressed a strong desire to continue his journey with the club, which has high hopes for his future.

He will also be the first goalkeeper from the training center to sign a professional contract since Pepe Bonet, who was 16 years old in July 2019.

This move reflects the management’s commitment to supporting him on his path to the elite.

Joël Coulibaly could follow

Meanwhile, Rennes is making strides towards securing Lucas Rosier’s first professional contract.

The 17-year-old left winger, originally from Guadeloupe, joined the academy from Stade Lamentinois in June 2022 and has been steadily progressing through the ranks in Brittany.

Like Akabou, he played in the last Limoges tournament with the French U-18 team and plays most of the time with the reserve team in National 3 (1 goal this season).

According to the aforementioned source, his signing is “imminent”. Joël Coulibaly (midfielder, 17 years old) could follow by signing a new contract in the coming weeks.