Brentford have completed the transfer of midfielder, Mamadou Sangare from RC Lens for a club-record undisclosed fee.
Sangare’s move to the Bees comes after a solid single season at Lens where he registered three goals and four assists in 33 appearances across all competitions, which included a second-placed finish in France’s Ligue 1.
The terms of the fee remain undisclosed but is an official club-record fee and Sangare has signed a five-year contract until June 2031, with a club option to extend for a further 12 months.
Brentford’s Head Coach, Keith Andrews has welcomed the 24-year-old’s arrival as he explained that the club had been monitoring his progress for a period of time and praised Sangare for his performances last season.
“Mamadou is someone that we’ve tracked for quite some time. He’s been on our radar and was a player we were really keen to bring in.
“Last season was a huge season for him following a couple of loan spells during which he developed. At Lens, he performed at such a consistently high level for a team that finished second in the league.
“Added to that was his form for Mali, where he became a really key player for them.”
Andrews added that he feels that Sangare will bring fresh qualities to compliment their current midfield selection.
“He’s a player that adds to a really good midfield that we already have; he also adds qualities that we don’t have. He complements the current midfield.
“From the conversations I’ve had with him, he’s very keen to come here. He’s a humble young man, but he’s equally as determined to succeed in his career.
“He fits everything we want from a Brentford player, on and off the pitch. He’ll be a player that I think will become very, very popular with the fans.”
Sangare began his career at Malian academy, Yeelen Olympique in the youth setup before he joined Red Bull Salzburg in 2020m but was loaned to FC Liefering and Grazer AK in the following two seasons, across which he scored six goals in 42 appearances.
He then spent the first half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Belgium’s Zulte Waregem but only scored one goal in 12 appearances, which led to a recall mid season and loan out to TSV Hartberg for the remainder of that season and the 2023-24 season where he netted three goals in 48 appearances.
A permanent move to Rapid Wien followed in July 2024 across which he delivered three goals in 50 appearances across 13 months until he joined Lens in August 2025 and helped the team win the Coupe de France title.
Sangare represents Mali at international level in which he has made 16 senior appearances since his debut in 2024.