Jamal Thiaré has completed a permanent move from Atlanta United FC to Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer, signing for a reported fee of €170,000. The Senegalese centre-forward, valued at €400,000 on the market, leaves Atlanta to join Eastern Conference rivals Columbus in a deal that further strengthens the Crew’s attacking options. The transfer is officially registered to begin on 2026-02-02, with Thiaré’s contract at Columbus running until 2028-12-31.
The move keeps Thiaré in the United States and in MLS, confirming that the 32-year-old will continue his career abroad rather than returning to his homeland of Senegal. For Columbus, the signing represents a relatively low-cost acquisition of an experienced top-flight forward familiar with the league, while Atlanta recoups a fee for a player whose market value has gradually declined in recent years.
Thiaré arrives in Ohio after a stint with Atlanta that began in 2023, when he joined from French side Le Havre AC. His time in MLS has coincided with a steady adjustment from European football to the North American game, having previously spent the bulk of his career in France’s league system with US Avranches and Le Havre, and earlier in Belgium with Royal Charleroi SC and the RSC Charleroi U19s. Before moving to Europe, he came through CNEPS Excellence in Senegal, which laid the technical foundation for his role as a central attacker.
While detailed statistics for his most recent MLS campaign are not listed in the data, Thiaré’s career trajectory shows him as a forward who has maintained a respectable market valuation over time, peaking at €900,000 during his Le Havre years before settling at €400,000 in his early thirties at Atlanta. That profile suggests Columbus are obtaining a seasoned professional expected to contribute as a rotational or complementary option in attack rather than as a high-fee marquee signing.
The transfer keeps Thiaré in the same league and country, but still underscores his long-standing status as a Senegalese player building his reputation abroad instead of in the domestic Senegalese championship. From his early move to Belgium in his late teens to his subsequent progression through French football and now MLS, his career has been shaped almost entirely outside his home nation.
There is also a contractual dimension for Atlanta: with Thiaré’s contract at his former club now concluded through this sale, the move opens the door for the possibility that, once his new deal in Columbus eventually expires, he could again become a free agent or seek another move either within MLS or back to Europe. For now, however, he is fully tied to Columbus through the end of 2028.
Thiaré’s transfer history—CNEPS Excellence to Charleroi’s youth ranks, to Royal Charleroi’s senior side, then Avranches, Le Havre, Atlanta United, and now Columbus Crew—illustrates a player who has consistently earned opportunities at higher or more competitive levels. Standing 1.83m tall and operating naturally as a centre-forward with a right-footed profile, he matches the mould of a mobile, physically capable striker suited to the demands of MLS.
As Columbus integrate him into their squad, the emphasis will be on how his experience across Belgium, France, and the United States can translate into goals and key contributions in the coming seasons. If he adapts quickly to his new surroundings and role within the Crew setup, this confirmed move could extend and stabilise his late-career trajectory, adding another substantial chapter to a professional journey that has already taken him far from Kaolack to multiple leagues across two continents.
