Brentford are close to agreeing a deal to sign Lens midfielder Mamadou Sangare.A deal has not yet been finalised but Brentford are closing in on a move for the Mali international, with the transfer fee expected to exceed the package of £37million ($49.2m; €43.2m at current rates) plus £5m in add-ons they paid Bournemouth for Dango Ouattara last year.Crystal Palace had been interested in Sangare, though felt as though they match the financial package that Brentford were offering.Sangare, 24, would be viewed as a replacement for Jordan Henderson, who left Brentford earlier on Wednesday after one season at the club, with a mutual agreement being reached to terminate his contract. The Athletic reported on Monday that Chelsea were the leading contenders to sign the 36-year-old and were working on a deal.Sangare joined Lens from Austrian club Rapid Wien in August last year and became a fixture of the French side’s midfield in the 2025-26 season, making 33 appearances in all competitions. He was one of the standout players in recorded in Ligue 1, three goals and three assists as Lens finished second in the table, just six points behind champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The midfielder has been capped 16 times by Mali and represented the country at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, helping the side reach the quarter-final stage.Why have Brentford targeted Sangare?Analysis by Jay HarrisBrentford’s midfield has been in urgent need of reinvention for a couple of years. They are still heavily over-reliant on Mathias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt who were part of the side which won the Championship play-off final under Thomas Frank five years ago. Mikkel Damsgaard has added a layer of stardust and Yehor Yarmoliuk is an all-action No 8 but they require more quality if they want to achieve their ultimate goal of qualifying for Europe or winning a domestic cup competition in the next few years.Jordan Henderson filled the void following Christian Norgaard’s departure to Arsenal last summer. On Wednesday, Brentford confirmed they had mutually agreed to terminate Henderson’s contract ahead of the England international’s potential move to Chelsea. Sangare is viewed as Henderson’s replacement.Sangare has had an interesting career. The 24-year-old was contracted to Red Bull Salzburg for four years but spent the bulk of that time on loan with other clubs in Austria and Belgium. An impressive season with Rapid Wien in 2024-25 led him to Lens where his development took another significant step forward. He made 29 league appearances for Lens who finished second in Ligue 1 behind Paris Saint-Germain.Sangare was one of Ligue 1’s most impressive midfielders last season (Sameer AL-Doumy/ AFP via Getty Images)Over the last 18 months he has become integral for Mail too. Sangare appeared in all of their games at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations including their quarter-final defeat to eventual finalists Senegal.Sangare’s athleticism and ball-winning abilities appealed to Brentford. They will be hopeful he can be part of a new look midfield alongside the Netherlands Under-21 international Antoni Milambo whose first year in west London was disrupted by an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
