Senegal and Al Nassr star Sadio Mane has bought a football club in France, joining the likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes to invest in the football business.
According to ESPN, Mane bought
French fourth division club Bourges Foot 18.
Mane has been looking to purchase a football club for some time and his relationship with Bourges Foot 18 president Cheikh Sylla has been key in him securing the deal.
According to the report, Mane previously contributed some funds to the club to aid with their recruitment.
But he’s now fully involved after receiving the approval of the mayor of the city, Yann Galut.
Following the completion of the deal Mane posted a video message in which he said: “We’ve been working with the city for the past three years. We’re here to nurture and organise the club. The challenge is immense, but if the people of Bourges remain involved, I’m confident we can achieve our goals. I believe I’ll be visiting Bourges very soon.”
The club are located 250 kilometres from Paris in central France, but they’ve never played higher than the French second tier (as Bourges 18).
The club currently sit second bottom in Group B of the Championnat National. They were only formed two years ago following a merger between two clubs in the region.
It also boasts teams like Cannes, who have endured a steep decline since giving French great Zinedine Zidane his professional debut.
Mane joined Al Nassr after struggling at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
He had a memorable spell at Liverpool where he won the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
