Senegalese striker Mbaye Niang will play in the Saudi Arabian league for at least six months.
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Maffia / UK Sports Pics / SIPA
It was the announcement that we expected more.
Sunday evening, shortly before midnight, Stade Rennais formalized the departure on loan from its striker Mbaye Niang.
The Senegalese will join Al Ahli SC in Saudi Arabia, where he will play until the end of the season.
The current second in the championship, two points behind leader Al Shabab, was looking to strengthen his attack and support his Syrian goleador Omar Al Somah.
Holder four times this season, Mbaye Niang will have scored only once, in the victory against Nice, which heralded the awakening of his club ... but not his.
Appeared short of form after a summer transfer window where he was announced to OM and then very close to joining AS Saint-Etienne, the Senegalese striker will not have succeeded in winning.
His coach Julien Stéphan has often preferred the recruit from Amiens Serhou Guirassy or even Martin Terrier.
He had yet scored 15 goals last season, and 14 in the epic 2018-2019 season.
"I'm here for the whole season"
While we expected to see him leave in the winter transfer window, Mbaye Niang had finally remained in Brittany.
“Mbaye chose to stay,” its president Nicolas Holveck had mentioned.
"I'm here for the whole season," he said in December.
Arrived on loan, Niang saw Stade Rennais lift its purchase option estimated at 15 million euros and offer him a contract until 2023.
According to
L'Equipe
, Stade Rennais should receive 1.5 million euros thanks to this loan, which comes with a non-compulsory purchase option.
The Senegalese will cross paths with former FC Nantes side Lucas Lima, who signed to Al Ahli two years ago.
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