AC Milan have announced the signing of Fode Ballo-Toure on a four-year deal from Monaco, that will keep him at San Siro Stadium until June 2025.
The 24-year-old becomes the newest player in Stefano Pioli's team after Olivier Giroud completed a permanent switch from Chelsea on Saturday.
Last season, the Senegal international played 24 Ligue 1 matches, six of which were starts as Monaco finished third on the league table.
The France-born defender began his career at Paris Saint-Germain where he spent 12 years before moving to Lille in 2017 for a two-year spell, and he later joined the Stade Louis II outfit in 2019.
Although he played for the French youth teams at the U16 and U21 level, Ballo-Toure ditched the world champions to play for Senegal on the international scene earlier this year.
“AC Milan is delighted to announce the permanent signing of Fode Ballo-Toure from AS Monaco. The defender has signed a contract with the Rossoneri until 30 June 2025 and will be wearing the number 5 jersey,” read the club statement.
“Fode, born in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (France) on 3 January 1997, spent his youth career with Paris Saint-Germain, before moving to LOSC Lille in 2017, with whom he made his Ligue 1 debut and where he made 47 appearances in one and a half seasons.
"In January 2019, he moved to AS Monaco, with whom he played 74 games.
“Fode collected 8 caps with the France U21 team, with whom he played the 2019 Uefa European Under-21 Championship. Of Senegalese origins, Fode made his debut with the Senegal National team in March 2021, collecting four caps.”
Ballo-Toure will be the third African star in the Rossoneri’s set-up, after Algeria’s Ismael Bennacer and Ivory Coast’s Franck Kessie.
He is expected to provide competition for Theo Hernandez in the left-back position as Pioli's men aim for the Scudetto and Uefa Champions League success.
AC Milan finished second in the Italian top-flight last season, and they will begin their 2021-22 campaign with a league clash against Sampdoria on August 21.