Lens captain Seko Fofana completes 25m transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr

May 2024 · 2 minute read

RC Lens captain Seko Fofana has completed his €25million (£21.5m; $28m) transfer to Al Nassr.

Fofana will move to the Saudi Pro League side on a three-year contract after Lens confirmed Al Nassr had met the release clause in Fofana’s contract.

The 28-year-old is widely regarded as one of Ligue 1’s best midfielders and has previously attracted interest from the Premier League and PSG. However, he is now poised to move to Al Nassr, the club Cristiano Ronaldo joined in December.

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RC Lens said in a statement confirming Fofana’s departure that he is set to become a shareholder of the club.

CEO Arnaud Pouille said: “As proof of his deep attachment to Racing, he will very shortly become the first player to leave a club to become a shareholder. Far from being a mere announcement, this concrete commitment is a strong act that anchors our relationship over time and underlines Seko’s confidence in the club’s future.”

Al Nassr, who confirmed the deal on Tuesday, have been unable to register new players after being banned from doing so by FIFA for their failure to pay “outstanding debt” to other clubs.

Before that ban, their only summer signing had been Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic, who played alongside Ronaldo in Monday’s 5-0 pre-season friendly defeat by Spanish side Celta Vigo.

" لأفعـل كل شيء من أجـل هذا الشعـار "
سيكـو هُنـا 💛#فوفانا_نصراوي pic.twitter.com/3jDL1zInAw

— نادي النصر السعودي (@AlNassrFC) July 18, 2023

Fofana, who signed a contract extension until 2025 last year, had played an integral part in Lens’ recent success, spearheading the team to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 last season. Franck Haise’s side finished one point behind Paris Saint-Germain and will play in the Champions League group stage next season.

The Ivory Coast international joined Lens in 2020 from Serie A side Udinese, having previously played for Manchester City and Fulham. His departure would be a big loss for Lens, who are preparing to return to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.

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Al Nassr are one of four Saudi Arabian sides to be taken over by the country’s Public Investment Fund this transfer window, alongside Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Ahli. The investment has seen several big names from European football make the move to the Gulf state, including Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves.

(Photo: LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images)

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