Babacar Leye: Pau FC sign Villefranche striker in Ligue 2 move

Pau FC have completed the signing of centre-forward Babacar Leye from FC Villefranche-Beaujolais in a permanent transfer. The 25-year-old moves within French football from the third tier to the Ligue 2 side, with the deal confirmed on 7 July 2026. The fee has not been disclosed.

Leye joins Pau after a rapid rise in his market valuation during his spell at Villefranche. Assessed at 100,000 in October 2025, his value climbed to 300,000 by March 2026 and reached 350,000 in May 2026, reflecting his growing status in the French game. Pau FC are now his registered club and the next step in a career that has progressed steadily through the national divisions.

Born in Chateaubriant on 2 September 2000, Leye holds French and Senegalese nationality and stands at 1.85m. A right-footed central striker, he strengthens Paus attacking options ahead of the 2026-27 Ligue 2 campaign, adding physical presence and a profile shaped in competitive lower-league football.

Before his move to Pau, Leye spent the 2025-26 season with Villefranche in Frances third tier, having joined them from Voltigeurs de Chateaubriant in July 2025. That step followed two separate spells with Voltigeurs either side of a stint at FC Nantes B, where he first moved in 2020 after emerging from Voltigeurs under-19 ranks.

Leyes progression from youth football in Chateaubriant to senior roles at Nantes B, Voltigeurs and Villefranche provides Pau with a forward experienced across several levels of the French pyramid.