Mamadou Traoré joins on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise

The 21-year-old Malian forward joins after spending time at USG and in Lithuania.

Castellón have continued their summer transfer dealings with the signing of Mamadou Traoré on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise until the end of the season. There is no option to buy included in the deal.

The highly-rated 21-year-old, who was born in Ivory Coast but represents Mali internationally, played at the U17 World Cup in 2017, reaching the semi-finals. He has had an interesting career trajectory, making his way from Mansa Academy (owned by former Lyon striker Moussa Dembélé) in Mali to Minija Kretinga in Lithuania in 2022. He was signed by USG earlier this summer on a two-year deal and completed pre-season with the Belgian team.

An extremely versatile player, Traoré has also played in central midfield and as a winger. He is impressive physically, which will fit in well in Dick Schreuder's high-energy, high-pressing system. Castellón looks to be the ideal place for him to develop - he has, after all, only played half a season of European football in a weaker league.

Similarly to Castellón, USG is a data-driven club, having been taken over by Brighton owner Tony Bloom, and only narrowly missed out on winning the Belgian first division last year.

Welcome to Castellón, Mamadou!