Fode Doucoure: Mali defender makes FC Nantes switch from Le Havre AC

Mali right-back Fode Doucoure has joined FC Nantes from Le Havre AC, completing a move that takes the 25-year-old defender to the Ligue 2 club.

Doucoure has signed a contract with Nantes until 30 June 2029. The right-footed full-back made two Ligue 1 appearances during the 2026-27 season before leaving Le Havre, recording one assist across 95 minutes.

Born in Bamako, Doucoure stands 1.72m tall and has played primarily as a right-back throughout his senior career. His arrival gives Nantes another option in a defensive position as the club builds its squad for the Ligue 2 campaign.

Doucoure joined Le Havre from Red Star FC on 22 July 2025 in a free transfer. He had spent the previous part of his career with Red Star, initially arriving from Stade Reims on loan in January 2022 before returning permanently later that year.

His time at Red Star included a €50,000 transfer from Stade Reims in July 2022. Before that move, Doucoure had progressed through Stade Reims’ system after joining the club’s B team from JMG Bamako in 2019.

The defender has won the French third-tier title once, an achievement that came during his time in France’s lower divisions. His move to Nantes now represents a return to Ligue 2 after his season with Le Havre in the top flight.

Doucoure made his senior breakthrough at Stade Reims after developing with the club’s reserve side. His experience across France’s professional divisions includes appearances for Stade Reims, Red Star and Le Havre, with Nantes becoming the latest club in his career.

He joins Nantes after starting half of the matches available to him in the early part of the 2026-27 Ligue 1 season and playing 53% of the available minutes. He also received two yellow cards during that campaign.

The transfer is Doucoure’s latest move within French football and places him at Nantes on a deal running through June 2029.