Brentford close on record Mamadou Sangare deal after agreeing fee with RC Lens

Brentford have reached a verbal agreement with RC Lens to sign midfielder Mamadou Sangare in what is expected to be the most expensive transfer in the London club’s history.

The Premier League side have settled on a fee of €48m (£40.5m) plus bonuses for the 24-year-old, according to journalist Florian Plettenberg, with the deal also including a sell-on clause in favour of the French club.

Sangare, a full international, is set to sign a contract with Brentford until 2031 if the move is completed. He is due to undergo a medical in the coming days, a key step before the transfer can be finalised and officially announced.

Should the move go through as planned, the central midfielder will become Brentford’s costliest signing, surpassing all previous transfer outlays made by the Bees.

Structure of the deal

The proposed agreement between Brentford and RC Lens is based on a fixed fee of €48m, with additional performance-related bonuses and a percentage of any future sale written into the deal.

Rapid Vienna, one of Sangare’s former clubs, stand to benefit from the transfer through a clause that guarantees them 12.5% of any future resale fee. This sell-on percentage would be triggered if Brentford were to sell the player on at a later date.

Sangare is currently under contract with RC Lens until 2030, and his market value is put at around €40m. He earns an annual salary of €2m, equivalent to 1,300,000,000 FCFA.

Formalities still to be completed

Despite a broad agreement between all parties, the transfer has not yet been signed off. No documents have been formally completed at this stage, and the move remains contingent on the successful conclusion of the medical and the finalisation of contracts.

There has been no indication so far of rival bids or attempts by other clubs to hijack the deal, leaving Brentford in a strong position to complete what would be a landmark signing for the club.

If all remaining details are resolved without complication, Sangare will leave RC Lens, where he is tied to the club for another six years, to begin a long-term spell in west London as the most expensive player ever to join Brentford.