PAOK secure Senegal striker Cherif Ndiaye on loan from Samsunspor

Senegal striker Cherif Ndiaye has joined PAOK from Samsunspor on a season-long loan, completing his move to the Greek Super League 1 club.

The 30-year-old centre-forward arrives after one season with Samsunspor, having moved to the Turkish side from Red Star Belgrade in September 2025 for €4m. Ndiaye’s transfer to PAOK is his latest change of club after a prolific spell in Serbia, where he helped Red Star win three consecutive Serbian league titles.

Ndiaye also won the Serbian Cup twice with Red Star, in 2024 and 2025. He was the Super liga Srbije’s leading scorer in the 2024-25 season after scoring 19 goals, while he had earlier finished as the top scorer in the 2023-24 Serbian Cup with three goals.

His record in Turkey includes 36 goals and 10 assists in 106 Super Lig appearances. He has also scored five goals in six Turkish Cup matches, underlining a strong scoring return in domestic competition.

The Dakar-born forward, who is 1.90m tall and prefers his right foot, began his senior career with Waasland-Beveren before moving to HNK Gorica in January 2019. He subsequently spent time with Goztepe, Shanghai Port and Adana Demirspor before joining Red Star.

Ndiaye’s move to Samsunspor followed his two seasons at Red Star, where his goals helped the club dominate Serbian domestic football. He made 52 appearances in the Super liga Srbije during his career and scored 26 goals, adding seven assists.

The striker has also played in European competition, making 14 Champions League appearances and scoring three goals. He has featured in Champions League qualifying matches, the Conference League and Europa Conference League qualifying, giving him experience beyond domestic football.

PAOK have added Ndiaye to their attacking options for the 2026-27 season, with the loan agreement scheduled to run until 30 June 2027. The Senegal international’s move from Samsunspor to PAOK is now complete.