Senegalese soccer star Mane completes acquisition of France’s National 2 side Bourges Foot 18

The Senegalese soccer star and international Sadio Mane has acquired National 2 club Bourges Foot 18, a fourth-tier French club.

The French side made the announcement Wednesday October 25 during a press conference, explaining that the deal had been in the pipeline for three years.

“I can confirm the official arrival of Sadio Mane as a partner of Bourges Foot 18. I would like to extend my warmest greetings to him,” the French side indicated. It’s an official arrival in the presence of Cheikh Sylla, the club’s president. “Sadio Mane has humanist values, he’s close to people and he wants to have a social project”, said the town’s mayor.

The team is chaired by Cheikh Sylla, one of Mane’s close friends. The former Liverpool striker and current Saudi side Al Nassr player attended the press conference online. He indicated that both sides had been in talks for three years for the deal.

“It’s a great pleasure to support my friend Cheikh Sylla’s project. We’ve been talking for 3 years. We’re going to work together to develop and structure the club and make it more professional. It’s going to be a huge challenge, but the local population will be involved and we’ll get there. The mayor and the chairman have convinced me of the need to achieve immediate goals”, he explained.

It is unclear how much Mane has plashed on the central France team for the acquisition. National 2 league is made up of a mix of amateur teams and professional clubs including Cannes. Bourges are currently sitting second bottom in Group B of the Championnat National.