Official | Sergio Akieme joins Reims from Almería on a 5-year deal | OneFootball

Stade de Reims have signed Sergio Akieme (26) from UD Almería on a deal that will see the left-back with Les Rouges et Blancs until 2029.

The Madrid-born defender was developed at Rayo Vallecano where he made his professional debut with their second team in 2015. Akieme’s talent was then spotted by Barcelona in 2019 and he earned a move to the giants of La Liga.

However, the fullback failed to make progress with the Catalans, spending the entirety of his stay at Barcelona in their reserve team. This situation led to Akieme searching out playing time at a higher level. Akieme joined Almería initially on loan before making the move on a permanent basis in 2021.

His success during his time with Almería has led to Reims reneging on their previous statements that they would not be spending any money in this transfer window to strengthen their squad.

It had been a thorny issue between the Champagne club and their manager Will Still, but the Anglo-Belgian coach may well be delighted to see that Reims are not yet finished making deals. The club are rumoured to be in negotiations for Benjamin Stambouli (33) and a deal is thought likely to be confirmed later today.

GFFN | Nick Hartland