Brentford completed the signing of 24-year-old Malian international Mamadou Sangare from French club RC Lens on August 1 for a club-record fee [1, 2]. The midfielder joined on a five-year contract, with an option for an additional year [1, 3, 2].
Sangare made 33 appearances for Lens last season after joining from Austrian side Rapid Vienna in the summer of 2025. He was a key player in Lens’s campaign, as they won the French Cup for the first time and finished second in Ligue 1 [1, 3, 2]. He also earned 16 caps for Mali, featuring at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations [3].
He started his career at Red Bull Salzburg and had several loan spells before moving to Rapid Vienna, where he further developed his midfield skills [3]. Brentford coach Keith Andrews described Sangare as "a humble young man, but he’s equally as determined to succeed in his career," adding that he "fits everything we want from a Brentford player, on and off the pitch." Andrews said, "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" [1, 3, 2].
There is some disagreement over the exact fee. Sources from Brentford and others report it as £39 million (about $52.57 million), while another source states no fee was disclosed but that it surpassed the club’s previous record £42.5 million fee for Dango Ouattara, implying a higher figure [1, 3, 2].
Brentford’s Premier League season will start at home against Tottenham Hotspur on August 22. Sangare is expected to be part of the squad aiming to strengthen the club’s midfield as they prepare for their campaign [1, 2].
