Arsenal dey eye Rennes star Djaoui Cisse for summer transfer

Arsenal don join di race to sign Rennes midfielder Djaoui Cisse for dis summer transfer window. According to French publication MediaFoot, di north London side dey among many clubs wey dey interested for di 22-year-old midfielder. Di boy don catch Mikel Arteta eye with him technical ability and playing style.

Bundesliga clubs Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen don already show strong interest for Cisse before. Dem dey prepare for potential summer pursuit. Di midfielder na graduate of Rennes academy and him contract go last until summer 2030. Him just sign fresh five-year deal last September.

Di France U21 international don make 22 appearances for Rennes dis season, including 12 starts for Ligue 1. People dey praise am well-well for him elegance and work rate. Him former Rennes teammate, Lorenz Assignon, wey move to Stuttgart last summer, talk say Rennes always dey produce top young players. Assignon tell Ligue 1 website say di right moment and right coach na wetin dey important.

Arsenal bin dey look for new midfielder for January after Mikel Merino injury. Dem fit revisit di plan after di season because di Spain international go dey absent for long time. After di 29-year-old setback, Arsenal consider surprise move for Newcastle Sandro Tonali for final days of winter market. Dem don dey link with di Italian since dat time.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest dey battle to avoid relegation from Premier League under new head coach Vitor Pereira. Di Portuguese boss na third manager for City Ground dis 2025/26 season after Sean Dyche, Ange Postecoglou, and Nuno Espirito Santo. Pereira mastermind 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur before international break to move di club three points clear of West Ham United for final relegation spot.

For Forest, main focus na to avoid relegation for last seven matches of di season. But dem dey also look wetin dem go do for summer. Because of Chris Wood persistent injury issues, Brazilian number nine Igor Jesus don be di go-to man up front for Tricky Trees for Premier League. Di 25-year-old marksman start 22 of him 30 appearances for di division.

But for him first season with di club, Jesus no deliver enough quality for final third to justify keeping faith in am as first-choice striker for next year. For him 30 appearances for top-flight, Jesus score three goals from 4.66 xG for Nottingham Forest. Dat na average of one goal every ten games and underperforming him xG by almost two goals.

Dat na why Pereira suppose look to move on from Jesus as regular starter next season. Him no even need make new signing to do am. Tricky Trees get forgotten star wey dey currently out on loan and fit return to City Ground dis summer as if na new signing. Last summer, Forest sign Arnaud Kalimuendo from Stade Rennes for £26m to bolster dem options for top end of pitch. But dem rarely give am chance to impress under Postecoglou or Dyche.

Since joining Frankfurt on loan, Kalimuendo don score five goals from 3.07 xG for 13 appearances for Bundesliga. Dat one don outscore Jesus league record within space of three months. Kalimuendo no just dey for purple patch of form. Him score ten Ligue 1 goals for 2023/24 campaign and 17 league goals for 2024/25 season for Rennes before him move to Forest.

But previous managers for Forest choose not to give am chance to prove him quality for Premier League. Dat one look like big mistake now. Thankfully for Pereira and Forest, reports say Frankfurt no likely activate dem option to sign di striker permanently for £23m because of dem own financial struggles.

Dat mean say Kalimuendo fit get second chance to make success of him career at City Ground under manager wey never work with am before. Di 24-year-old star, wey U23 scout Antonio Mango describe as “really dangerous” for box, fit be in-house solution to dem Igor Jesus problem for top end of pitch. Him fit return to take starting berth up front next season.

For other news, French club Olympique de Marseille hire Stéphane Richard as new president for Friday amid another turbulent season. Di 64-year-old Richard na former chief executive of French telecoms giant Orange. Him go replace Alban Juster, wey dey there on interim basis since Pablo Longoria lose him position. Richard officially start for July.

Marseille break link with Longoria last month after departure of manager Roberto De Zerbi. De Zerbi, wey now coach troubled Tottenham, leave after 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain and embarrassing elimination from Champions League after 3-0 loss to Club Bruges for final group stage match.

Marseille na first French team to win Champions League for 1993, but PSG equal dat feat last season. While PSG na di dominant club for French football now, Marseille never win trophy since League Cup for 2012.

Stade Velodrome of Marseille, with capacity for 67,000 spectators, become known as Orange Vélodrome due to naming rights change for 2016. Dat one happen during Richard time for Orange. Richard talk say him feel special affection for Marseille where him take baccalaureate exams and where him get house. Him regularly attend matches against rival PSG.

American owner of Marseille, Frank McCourt, talk say Richard candidacy stand out among many others. Di agreement close during long dinner for London. McCourt, 72-year-old former owner of Los Angeles Dodgers, buy Marseille from billionaire Margarita Louis-Dreyfus.

Marseille dey for fourth place for Ligue 1, with Champions League qualification as only objective. Di club from Mediterranean city don lose ground for recent weeks and dey one point behind third-place Lille and equal on points with fifth-place Monaco. Top three qualify directly, while fourth-place team enter preliminary phase.

Season begin with optimism after finishing second behind champion PSG last season. But tensions become evident quickly for di club. French midfielder Adrien Rabiot and English forward Jonathan Rowe transfer after fight for dressing room after season opener for Rennes. Rabiot go to AC Milan and Rowe to Bologna of Serie A.

Rabiot get 57 caps for France and na best player of Marseille last season. Him sure presence for midfield, leadership qualities and precise passes don dey missed well-well. Habib Beye, former Rennes coach and ex-Marseille defender, leave Rennes to take over Marseille after De Zerbi departure.

For volleyball news, Gary Chauvin want finish in best way possible. VBC Chalon, 10th place, host Rennes, 9th place, for Saturday for one of last meaningful matches of season. Dat one even more special for Chauvin because na against him former club, with few matches left before end of him sports career after 20 years at high level.

Chauvin and VBC Chalon still hope to finish ahead of Rennes. Di captain talk say Rennes just ahead of dem for table. With victory Saturday night, dem go get closer to dem for table, with possibility of finishing ahead still there. Dat na one of objectives at beginning of season.

Chauvin even more want to finish well because na him last matches as professional player. Him career go end after five matches and trip to Fréjus. But him no go finish with volleyball completely. Him go switch to other side of barrier and embrace career as executive, still within VBC Chalon.

For Rennes player news, Seko Fofana find smile again far from Rennes. Since him arrival on loan dis winter, di midfielder no establish himself for starting eleven of FC Porto. But him appearances bring real added value to him new team. Proof for him last two matches where di Ivorian international score him second and third goals with Dragons.

Dat na nice way to turn page after difficult first half of season with Rouge et Noir. Between injuries, poor performances and tensions with former coach Habib Beye wey dey publicly point out him lack of involvement, Fofana live complicated period for Rennes. Di technician also leave Brittany.

Rennes leaders no doubt go happy to get rid of dem flop. For now, former Racing Club de Lens player only loaned without purchase option. But him convincing substitute appearances fit encourage FC Porto to negotiate permanent transfer. Daily newspaper A Bola show pessimism, mainly because of di midfielder comfortable salary. Dem also learn say FC Porto no able to conclude big transfer.

Only termination of Rennes lease of Seko Fofana fit unblock situation. Di player under contract until 2029 go then need to lower him demands.