By Gareth James

Wales midfielder Jordan James has finalised his transfer from Birmingham City to French club Rennes for a fee understood to be around £4m.

Rennes, under the guidance of manager Julien Stephan, finished 10th in Ligue 1 last season and have captured the 20-year-old on a four-year deal..

James has become one of the most impressive players in a Welsh shirt in the past couple of seasons on the back of his influential displays for Birmingham in the Championship.

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But when Blues were relegated to League One last season, it was always likely the Hereford-born player would move on.

Earlier this year, Italian Serie A team Atalanta attempted to secure James’ signature, but the switch did not materialise and the midfielder has now completed a move to Ligue 1.

James, who came up through the ranks at St Andrew’s, had played 104 matches and netted 10 goals for Birmingham since his debut in November 2021.

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Although he has earned 11 caps for Wales, he also represented England at Under-20 level, having been born in Hereford.

Last season, James featured in 42 league games as Birmingham suffered relegation from the Championship.

However, he did not play in their League One opener, which ended in a 1-1 draw against Reading on Saturday.

He becomes the sixth signing of Rennes during this summer transfer window following the arrivals of Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal, Albert Gronbaek, Glen Kamara, Leo Ostigard and Hans Hateboer.

James could now make his Rennes debut this Sunday with Les Rouge et Noir hosting Olympique Lyonnais for the first game of the Ligue 1 season.

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