SC Covilhã have completed the loan signing of Senegalese centre-back Lamine N’Diaye from Alverca B, securing the 20-year-old defender until 30/06/2026, with his return to Alverca B already scheduled for 30/06/2026. The deal, confirmed as a loan transfer, moves the left-footed centre-back into Liga 3 competition while tying his future, for now, to the Portuguese third tier.
N’Diaye joins Covilhã from Alverca’s B team in the Campeonato de Portugal – Série D, stepping up a level in Portuguese football as he continues his development in Europe. The agreement keeps him contracted to Alverca B beyond the end of the loan, meaning he is not set to become a free agent at the conclusion of his spell in Covilhã, with his status clearly defined by the planned loan end and return.
The move marks another step in a rapid and geographically varied career path. Born in Richard-Toll, Senegal, and standing 1.87 m tall, N’Diaye has progressed through three countries’ football systems by the age of 20. After emerging at Guédiawaye FC de Dakar in Senegal, he moved to France in 2023 to join AS Saint-Étienne’s U19 side. A year later, he was promoted internally to AS Saint-Étienne B, competing in the French lower tiers, before transferring to Alverca B in Portugal ahead of the 2025/26 season. From there, his latest switch to Covilhã places him firmly in Liga 3.
Operating primarily as a central defender, N’Diaye is listed as a defender – centre-back and is left-footed, a profile that is often in demand among clubs seeking balance in the back line. His nationality is recorded solely as Senegalese, and there is no indication of dual nationality in the available data. His national team field is associated with SC Covilhã, reflecting his current club status rather than senior international involvement, with no information suggesting caps at youth or senior level for Senegal.
The terms of the transfer are strictly a loan, described as a “loan transfer” in the documentation, with no additional fee details disclosed and no market value listed for the player. That absence of a stated market value underscores how early N’Diaye remains in his professional journey, with his valuation likely to be shaped by his performances in Liga 3 over the course of this loan spell.
N’Diaye’s career to date has taken him from domestic football in Senegal to youth and reserve football in France and now into the Portuguese pyramid. Having already navigated moves between Guédiawaye FC de Dakar, Saint-Étienne’s U19s and B team, Alverca B, and now SC Covilhã, the defender’s trajectory points toward a deliberate strategy of gradual progression through competitive environments in Europe, with this confirmed loan representing his latest opportunity to establish himself at senior level.
