Mohamed Kader Meite: Rennes' towering teenage striker who's grabbed the attention of Chelsea, Man Utd & PSG

One of the latest prospects to emerge from the hotbed of talent that is Paris and its surrounding banlieues, Meite was born to Ivorian parents in the Creteil neighbourhood in the south-east of the city in October 2007.

Taking his first steps on the path to a professional career at local club CA Paris 14 in 2013, the striker would develop at a clutch of youth teams in the French capital before catching the attention of Brittany-based Rennes and joining their academy setup in 2022 when he was 15 years old - a reflection of the potential the Ligue 1 side saw, as that is the earliest possible age a player can leave their local area for opportunities elsewhere, per French rules.

There, Meite would make swift progress through the age grades, mixing it with the big boys as he regularly turned out for the Under-19s in the 2023-24 campaign after making his debut at 15, and even featured for Rennes' reserves in February 2024. He was also included in France's squad for the U17 European Championship in the early summer.

After a fast start to the following season with the B team, a first-team breakthrough felt inevitable, and five days removed from signing his first professional contract with the club, Meite was handed his senior debut in a 10-minute cameo against Toulouse in Ligue 1 in November 2024. That didn't lead to him establishing himself immediately, but after the turn of the year he was a regular feature in the squad, even earning a start against Paris Saint-Germain in March.

He would score his first two senior goals in back-to-back games against Nantes in the Breton derby and Lyon towards the end of the campaign, before firing the U19s to glory in the prestigious Coupe Gambardella in late May, netting a dramatic late winner in the final against Dijon. However, it is only this season that people have begun to sit up and take notice more broadly - including his admirers in the Premier League.

A match-winning foray off the bench in September thrust the young striker into the spotlight, as he turned the Ligue 1 clash with Lyon on its head in the space of 21 minutes. With Rennes 1-0 down, Meite had already forced a good save when he drew a game-changing red card challenge from ex-Liverpool man Tyler Morton with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Five minutes later, he made a nuisance of himself in the penalty area to assist Anthony Rouault's leveller, and in stoppage time he forced an own goal to snatch the win, pinning a defender out wide, rolling his man and crashing in a shot from an acute angle that somehow ended up in the back of net via the post and a double deflection. There was still time for the teenager to add a richly-deserved goal of his own, as he rose highest to guide a header into the bottom corner.

This was a cameo that exhibited all of Meite's very best attributes, with the performance even going viral on social media.

The goals haven't exactly flowed in the weeks and months since that September night but, at 18, Meite is already a fully-fledged member of the Rennes first-team squad, picking up regular minutes and starting three consecutive games between later October and mid-November. His four goal involvements to date have come in a little over 400 minutes of action.

He was decisive again in the second of those matches against Chelsea-owned Strasbourg as Rennes secured a convincing 4-1 victory, first showing quick reactions to volley in his side's second from close range before turning provider by pinning his man and firing a pinpoint cutback into the path of strike partner Esteban Lepaul.

That was the catalyst for a four-game winning run, but it's clear that Meite is going to have to be patient for opportunities in the team and in front of goal as his development continues. At international level, he has already made his debut for France's U21s.

As we've touched upon, Meite is an absolute unit, and it's clear that he is already understanding how best to use his imposing 6'4" frame to his advantage. "He knows how to stay in the box and use his physique," Rennes head coach Habib Beye - a former Newcastle defender - said recently.

As demonstrated by a couple of his goal involvements so far this season, the 18-year-old is already adept at hold-up play, proving to be an immovable object when he has a defender pinned, and he has the strength to be in control of whatever happens next. He certainly won't shy away from a battle, as he showed when going toe-to-toe with PSG stalwart Marquinhos last season.

Unsurprisingly, he is also utterly dominant in the air, with two of his four senior goals to date coming from headers. What's more unexpected, though, is Meite's willingness to drop deep to help his team, using his physique to wrestle back possession in midfield and get his team moving upfield.

Although he is proving to be deadly inside the penalty area, Meite is not your classic, lumbering, 'big man' No.9, often popping up out wide, in the half-spaces and in the No.10 role - reflecting that he has plenty of confidence with the ball at his feet.

Inevitably, Meite is still a little rough around the edges as he develops his style of play and learns about his body, all while he is still growing despite already towering over most of his opponents.

Finishing is something he will certainly want to improve, and that will bring the goals that have perhaps been lacking so far in his budding senior career. From his coach's perspective, he needs to work on his ability to bring others into the game and how to find elusive space up top.

"He’s going to learn quickly but he needs to be relieved of this pressure," Beye said in September. "And it's good that there are forwards of a greater pedigree (at the club) because I think that’s what he needs to improve. He scores goals, but he needs to improve in his link-up play and his movement. We know that if we put balls in the box, he'll be present."

When we talk about players who really fit the old adage of 'good feet for a big man', it's pretty difficult to look beyond new Newcastle cult hero, Nick Woltemade. The towering German - who excels in holding the ball up and bringing his team-mates into play while being adept at ghosting into space despite being the biggest player on the pitch more often than not - must surely be the benchmark for a rangy, young striker like Meite.

The Frenchman is currently two inches shorter than Woltemade, but at 18 he still has some growing to do. He also isn't as polished as his counterpart from a technical standpoint, but that should come with time, and he boasts similar pace despite his bulking frame, as well as instinctive finishing ability in the penalty area.

If Meite can make the kind of improvements to his link-up play that we've already mentioned, then he has the potential to pose the kind of all-round threat that Woltemade has brought to the Newcastle frontline since his £69 million ($92m) arrival from Stuttgart in the summer.

In the short-term, the most logical thing would be for Meite to get his head down and do everything he can to become a guaranteed starter for Beye at Rennes, but his recent emergence has already generated transfer links.

Following his impressive cameo against Lyon, it was reported in Spain that a number of leading European clubs had sat up and taken notice of the teenager's exploits in Brittany, but it is supposedly Chelsea who are showing the strongest interest. The Blues have, of course, made it their mission to stockpile some of the most exciting young players on the planet in recent years.

Then, in November, The Sun claimed Meite and team-mate Jeremy Jacquet had been scouted by Manchester United, albeit the Red Devils viewed him as "still a bit raw". He has inevitably been linked with a return to his hometown to join Champions League winners PSG, too, while AC Milan are said to be considering making an offer as early as January.

Whether there is any substance to these rumours remains to be seen, but it's clear that Meite will have the pick of Europe's elite if he continues on his current trajectory, and Rennes can prepare for another big payday.