West Ham United and Leeds United are among the Premier League sides chasing Stade Rennais’ Djaoui Cissé for the summer.
Two months ago, Sport Witness covered claims from France that Leeds United had initiated contact to sign him.
Daniel Farke’s side aren’t alone as West Ham and other clubs are keen on securing the 22-year-old’s services.
The midfielder came up through the ranks of the Ligue 1 side’s youth system and made his way into their first team in 2024. He’s made 38 appearances so far and 22 are from this season.
His Ligue 1 stats this season are as follows:
Appearances: 21
Starts: 12
Total minutes: 959
Interceptions per game: 0.3
Tackles per game: 1.5
Possession won (final third): 0.3
Ball recovered per game: 2.4
Clearances per game: 0.2
Blocked shots per game: 0.2
Duels won per game: 2.5
Despite the limited number of appearances, he is attracting interest from West Ham, the Whites and other clubs.
West Ham and Leeds United in tussle
Africa Foot cover the latest on Nuno Espírito Santo’s side, Leeds United and other Premier League sides’ interest in Djaoui Cissé.
Bayer Leverkusen are also keen and are in pole position to acquire his signature in the next window.
The Bundesliga side have made a move and the Stade Rennais player’s entourage are in favour of a move to Germany. A permanent transfer in the summer is considered for a fee between €15m and €20m including bonuses.
However, Bayer Leverkusen have to be wary of the fierce competition from West Ham and the Elland Road club. The Premier League duo are ‘preparing offers’, without the report explaining the details of the fee the two are planning to submit.
Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Newcastle United are monitoring the France U21 international closely.
Our take: Disadvantage for West Ham and Whites
West Ham are 17th in the table, two points above 18th placed Tottenham Hotspur and four behind 15th placed Leeds United.
Bayer Leverkusen are fifth in the Bundesliga, 10 points ahead of seventh placed Eintracht Frankfurt. They are most likely to play in Europe next season, which both the Hammers and the Whites can’t offer to Djaoui Cissé.
This gives the German club, who are now in pole, a clear edge over the Premier League duo. That may not be the case if Arsenal or Aston Villa were to make concrete advances.
Cissé’s contract expires in 2030, and Transfermarkt value him at €15m.