Nigerian striker John Utaka has joined French UEFA Cup contenders Stade Rennais FC from RC Lens for a reported €6m.

Agreement reached
The 23-year-old, who represented Lens in the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League in his first European season, scoring two group stage goals, has signed a contract until summer 2009. Lens stated: "This transfer has been reported in the press for a while but we only reached agreement with Rennes on Thursday."

UEFA Cup debut
Rennes equalled their best-ever Ligue 1 finish of fourth place in 2004/05 to earn a first UEFA Cup campaign, beginning in the first round on 15 September. It is not yet known if Utaka's potential strike partner, Alexander Frei, will remain in Brittany.