Everton Lead Race for £37m Rennes Striker Esteban Lepaul

Everton lead Premier League chase for Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul

Everton are showing the strongest interest in signing Rennes centre-forward Esteban Lepaul, according to TEAMtalk. The 26-year-old France international is valued at £37m by Transfermarkt, and the Toffees have made checks on him ahead of a potential formal offer.

Player: Esteban Lepaul, 26, centre-forward
Current club: Rennes (Ligue 1)
Interested clubs: Everton (strongest), Leeds United, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford
Valuation: £37m (Transfermarkt)
Stage: Interest and scouting checks; no formal offer yet
What's at stake: Everton are fifth and unbeaten but have scored only eight goals this season

Deal details

Everton have entered the race to sign Lepaul, per TEAMtalk, which reports that the Merseyside club have made checks on the 26-year-old and extensively scouted him. However, any move depends on Rennes, who recently extended Lepaul's contract.

That new deal means a transfer will not be straightforward. Everton will likely need to submit a formal offer above his £37m Transfermarkt valuation if they are to convince Rennes to sell. No fee has been agreed, no talks are confirmed, and no formal bid has been submitted.

Leeds United, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford are also interested, but Everton currently show the strongest interest among the Premier League clubs.

The numbers

Age: 26
Transfermarkt valuation: £37m
Goals this season: 4 in 6 games for Rennes
Last season: 21 Ligue 1 goals, winning the Ligue 1 top scorer award
Angers record: 17 goals before joining Rennes
Épinal record: 19 goals in 28 games
Everton goals this season: 8 (lowest in the top five)

What was said

"very complete"
— Rennes manager Franck Haise, describing Esteban Lepaul

Haise's assessment frames Lepaul as a rounded centre-forward rather than a poacher. That description aligns with a player who has scored across multiple clubs and divisions: 19 goals in 28 games for SAS Épinal, 17 for Angers, then 21 in a Ligue 1 campaign that ended with the top scorer award.

The quote matters because it is the only on-record evaluation in the source. It also explains why a club like Everton – which needs goals from a focal point rather than another wide runner – would prioritise him.

Why Everton want Lepaul – and why it makes sense

David Moyes has built an unbeaten side that sits fifth, but the attacking output is the clear weakness. Eight goals is the lowest in the top five and joint second-lowest in the top ten. Thierno Barry has scored three of those eight, meaning the burden falls heavily on one forward.

Lepaul's profile – a 26-year-old centre-forward who has scored at every level he has played, including 21 in Ligue 1 – directly addresses that. He is not a project. He is in his prime and already producing four goals in six games this season. Everton's scouting checks suggest they see him as a starter, not squad depth.

The complication is Rennes. They recently extended his contract, which strengthens their hand. Everton will need to go above £37m, and they are not alone: Leeds, Aston Villa, Brighton and Brentford are all monitoring him. Everton's advantage is that they are showing the strongest interest, which often means first mover in a formal bid. But interest without a bid wins nothing.

Lepaul's career path

Lepaul began his career with Baldenheim and Colmar before joining Lyon's academy at 15. He never made a first-team appearance there and was released for free to join Championnat National 2 side SAS Épinal, where he scored 19 goals in 28 games.

He spent two seasons on loan at US Orléans before joining Angers permanently in 2024. He impressed with 17 goals, and Rennes swooped for his signature the following summer. At Rennes, he won the Ligue 1 top scorer award with 21 goals and has carried that form into the current campaign, netting four in six.

His form earned him a place in Zinedine Zidane's France squad during the recent international break.

Talking points

Everton's eight goals is the real story. Lepaul would be a statement signing, but can a club outside the Champions League places justify £37m-plus on one forward?
Rennes extended his contract for a reason. Everton may need to pay well above the Transfermarkt valuation, and Leeds or Aston Villa could easily outbid them.
Is Lepaul a one-season wonder? His record at Épinal, Angers and Rennes suggests not, but Ligue 1 to Premier League is a step up in intensity.
Everton are unbeaten and fifth. Do they risk disrupting a working system by adding a marquee striker in January, or wait until summer?

What happens next

Everton must decide whether to formalise their interest with a bid above £37m. Rennes hold the cards after extending his contract, and competition from Leeds, Aston Villa, Brighton and Brentford means hesitancy could be costly. The next window is the decisive moment.