Empoli Football Club has officially confirmed the signing of striker M’Baye Niang. The statement from the Tuscan team announced the arrival of the former AC Milan player.
In their press release, Empoli F.C. announced, “We have reached an agreement with Adana Demirspor Kulübü to acquire, on a permanent basis, the right to the sports performances of footballer M’Baye Niang. The player has signed a contract until 30 June 2024 with the option of renewal under certain conditions.”
Senegalese-French national, M’Baye Niang, was born in Meulan on 19 December 1994. He emerged from the youth sectors of Basse-Seine Les Mureaux and Poissy, making his Ligue 1 debut with Caen at the tender age of sixteen, totalling 30 appearances. In 2012, he signed with AC Milan and made his Serie A debut in the Rossoneri’s victory over Bologna.
The same season also marked his first time in the Champions League, in the round of sixteen against Barcelona. Midway through the following season, Niang transitioned to Montpellier, concluding the season with four goals in 19 matches. Niang then returned to Milan, before moving to Genoa in January 2015, where he scored five goals and made three assists in 14 appearances.
Back at Milan, Niang marked his first goals in a Rossoneri shirt in Serie A in a victory over Sampdoria, finishing with a total of eight goals across the league and Cup games. In the 2016-17 season, he started with the Italian Super Cup victory in the final against Juventus, subsequently moving on loan to Watford in the Premier League in January.
In the following summer transfer window, M’Baye signed with Torino, spending an year there before moving to Rennes the subsequent summer. The Ligue 1 comeback season concluded with 44 appearances, 14 goals, 7 assists and notably, a victory in the French Cup final against PSG. Niang continued with Rennes until February 2021, when he moved on loan to Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League. After the end of the season, M’Baye returned to France with Auxerre, before moving last summer to Adana Demirspor in the Turkish top league.
In international football, M’Baye Niang has represented Senegal in the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Africa Cup.