Désiré Doué - Here's why Bayern Munich and PSG are battling it out for the Rennes star this summer
After featuring 42 times across all competitions for Rennes in 2023/24, the 19-year-old joined the argument to be named as one of the brightest midfield prospects in European football.
Although many people who don’t regularly watch French football are potentially unlikely to know who Désiré Doué is at present, European giants Bayern Munich and PSG - and potentially others - are going toe to toe for his signature this summer.
With a huge sum of money rumoured to be needed to secure his services - roughly €60million according to the very latest reports - the 19-year-old has a huge decision to make on his future if both clubs agree a deal with his current employers Rennes in the very near future.
But which club would be the best fit for Doué and how well prepared is he to make a move to one of the continents biggest clubs? With the help of Opta, let’s have a quick look.
First of all, it’s crucial to understand what kind of player Doué is and what position he plays on the pitch. The latter half of that prior sentence poses an interesting proposition to begin with, because during the 2023/24 season for Rennes he just about played everywhere on the field to some extent.
According to Opta, the 19-year-old played the highest proportion of his minutes at left midfield (31%) across all competitions last term, with a further 18% coming on the left wing. To most, that would likely emphasise him as a winger who operates best on the left flank but given that a further 32% of his time was spent either in central or central attacking midfield, there’s a serious debate to be had.
It also leaves both Bayern and PSG with a decision to make as to where to focus his positional attentions if they successfully bring him to their club this summer. For the French champions, there’s an obvious Kylian Mbappe sized hole that he could slot straight into, whilst at Bayern his versatility could see him transition into a fully fledged central midfielder who can operate in the left half space to a great degree if new manager Vincent Kompany opts for a 4-3-3 set up.
But enough about Doué’s positioning for now and more about the midfielder himself and what his style of play is.
A simple eye test of his best moments so far as a Rennes star highlight the current French Olympic squad member as a player who excels with the ball at his feet. His fantastic poise whilst in possession offers continuous excitement for fans and when that’s coupled with his movement and intelligence, Doué often skips past opposition players with apparent ease. That’s even more impressive given that he’s not blessed with the strongest pace, he instead uses his quick feet to either come inside the full back or breeze past him down the touchline thanks to his rapid change of direction.
That can be highlighted by the fact that he completed 59.8% of his dribbles in Ligue 1 during the 2023/24 campaign, recording 64 successful take-ons in total which ranked him fifth amongst all players in the division. Additionally, his success rate was the second strongest of any of the 17 players to attempt 100+ dribbles in France’s top-flight last term, behind only Lyon’s Rayan Cherki by a marginal amount.
His accomplished technique on the ball also continually aids his goal output, something which was again evident in Ligue 1 last season. That’s because of his four goals and four assists on the whole, five of those direct contributions followed a carry - including a stunning strike against Lyon during which he drifted in from the left wing to power home a right-footed finish from just outside the penalty area.
That goal in particular emphasised everything that Doué can do when given the chance, and potentially goes a long way to showing why he should be a left winger in the future, but there’s also other areas where he produces highly from a performance aspect.
His work rate when tracking back is an underrated part of his game, winning 157 duels in total at a 51.82% success rate, whilst also recovering possession for his side 5.32 times per 90 in Ligue 1 last season - a strong figure amongst similar players in the division.
Of course, more development is needed in general in that defensive regard, especially if he moves inside to play more as a central midfielder than a left winger over time, but his foundations as a 19-year-old point towards that being more than achievable if coached by a higher degree of manager and staff.
Elsewhere, Doué’s runs off the ball cause serious trouble for opposing defences. Constantly on the move, his nature to drift between operating out wide on the by-line and in the middle of the park offers not only himself the opportunity to get on the ball more often, but also gifts his teammates freedom and space. Those runs - plus his aforementioned dribbling - helped him to record 4.38 touches inside the opposition’s penalty area in Ligue 1 last term, another solid return compared to similar players in terms of position.
Lastly and because of his ability to play in a more central midfield position, Doué further possesses an underrated passing skillset. His range overall is fairly large and he enjoys attempting longer balls as well, an ability which most wide players simply don’t possess in terms of picking out the correct option and then delivering with the necessary accuracy.
During the last campaign Désiré Doué took the crucial next step in his career and development with Rennes, but the 2024/25 season could be the one where he truly emerges as one of European football’s most exciting young talents. Whether that future is to be at Bayern Munich, PSG or elsewhere is yet to be seen though.