FC Bayern Munich has signed Bara Sapoko Ndiaye on a permanent basis. The 18-year-old midfielder is making a permanent move from the Gambian academy Gambinos Stars Africa to Säbener Straße and will fill the spot left vacant by Leon Goretzka.
As expected, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye is staying with FC Bayern. The record champions have signed the 18-year-old midfielder from Gambinos Stars Africa on a permanent basis and given him a contract through June 2031.
In early January, the reigning double champions had initially brought in Ndiaye on loan until the end of the season. The fact that the Senegalese player had never played in a league system prior to his move to Munich did not seem to bother coach Vincent Kompany. Although a capsular injury in March set Ndiaye back by several weeks, he made his debut on Matchday 29 in the 5-0 away win at FC St. Pauli (coming on as a substitute in the 84th minute). This was followed by three more Bundesliga appearances, including two starts, as Kompany rotated his squad during the crucial phase of the Champions League.
Ndiaye now fills the central midfield spot vacated by Leon Goretzka’s departure. Playing behind established players like Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic, and Tom Bischof, he is expected to learn, mature, and develop. Partly due to the decision to go with Ndiaye, FC Bayern sold Noel Aseko (20) to Eintracht Frankfurt for around twelve million euros.
“Bara is a great guy who, in a very short time, found his footing in a completely new environment at FC Bayern and quickly earned a high level of acceptance within the team,” said FCB sporting director Christoph Freund.
A surprising brief appearance at the World Cup as well
In early July, Ndiaye made a somewhat surprising appearance for Senegal at the World Cup. After not seeing any action in the three group stage matches, he came on as a substitute in extra time of the Round of 32 match against Belgium and certainly injected some momentum into the dramatic 2-3 loss with a last-minute penalty kick. Now he wants to make his mark in the Bundesliga.
“Today is a very big day for me and my whole family,” Ndiaye said happily upon signing the contract. “I want to learn every day from all these great players here at FC Bayern and try to help the team.”