Habib Beye in pole position to replace Jorge Sampaoli at Rennes

Habib Beye is the front-running candidate to replace the departing Jorge Sampaoli as Rennes head coach, according to reports from Le Parisien and Ouest-France. The former Newcastle and Marseille defender is a free agent after leading Red Star FC to a Ligue 2 promotion last summer. Beye was previously of interest for Nantes and was even considered by Rennes following the dismissal of Julien Stéphan. The former Senegal international was overlooked by the Bretons, who appointed Sampaoli.

After less than three months in charge, the Argentine head coach is heading towards a contract termination after losing all five Rennes games since the turn of the year. Beye would accept a short-term contract until the end of the 2024-2025 Ligue 1 season and has the advantage of being immediately available as Ouest-France understands Pierre Sage still needs time to iron out details of his Lyon exit.

Rennes have dropped to 16th place in the Ligue 1 standings. They will host in-form BlueCo-owned RC Strasbourg this Sunday.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval