Newcastle Target ‘Highly Rated’ Ligue One Star Who PL Rival Bid £26M For In The Summer
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Newcastle United are the latest Premier League team to take a keen interest in Rennes centre-half Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, according to reports.
TEAMtalk claim that the Magpies are “keeping close tabs” on the “highly rated” Moroccan international.
Ait Boudlal was pursued by Fulham during the summer transfer window, but Rennes reportedly rejected a €30m (£26m) bid from the Cottagers.
Other clubs are keen on the 20-year-old, with Everton, Brentford and Hull City also thought to be monitoring his progress.
What do fans need to know about Ait Boudlal?
The centre-back was born in Marrakech, and he spent close to a decade at the Mohammed VI Football Academy.
Rennes snapped him up in the summer of 2024, and he made his senior debut for their B team against GSI Pontivy, before being loaned out for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign to Amiens.
Ait Boudlal played 9 games for the Ligue Two side, but an adductor injury cut his campaign short, and he returned to Rennes last summer.
After impressing in pre-season, the Moroccan was handed his Rennes debut against Marseille in August 2025, but he was sent off after just 30 minutes. Much to his relief, his team held on for a 1-0 win. He would go on to feature in 21 matches during the 2025/26 season.
Ait Boudlal got his first taste of international football when he was given his Morocco debut against Uganda in a friendly last November. He was subsequently included in the squad for the African Cup of Nations, but he did not make it off the bench. Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi did not take him to the World Cup.
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Newcastle are looking to refresh their centre-half options
Fabian Schar will turn 35 in December, and his contract expires at the end of the season, while Dan Burn will also be 35 before the start of next campaign.
Sporting director Ross Wilson is seemingly eyeing potential replacements, with an emphasis on youth. In addition to Ait Boudlal, the Magpies are believed to have maintained their interest in Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini.