Le Mans have continued to build an unusual collection of sporting investors after Idrissa Gana Gueye and Lucas Leiva joined the French club's shareholder group.
The pair follow Novak Djokovic, Thibaut Courtois, Felipe Massa and Kevin Magnussen into the project, adding two former international midfielders with strong connections to African and Brazilian football.
According to L'Équipe, Gueye and Leiva have invested in the club as part of the project led by Brazilian investment fund OutField, which became Le Mans' majority shareholder in February. The amounts invested by the two players have not been disclosed.
Former Everton Gueye, 36, remains an active player with Al-Diriyah in Saudi Arabia and brings a particularly strong link to Senegal. The midfielder has made 135 appearances for his country and has been involved with the ForHope Campus project since 2025.
The centre combines football development with education and personal support for young players, giving Gueye an existing platform through which to develop relationships in African football.
That could prove useful to Le Mans, who already have Senegalese players Dame Gueye and Habib Diallo in their squad. L'Équipe reports that the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder's involvement is expected to strengthen the club's links with Senegal and the wider African market.
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Leiva's contribution is expected to be more closely connected to Brazil and player recruitment.
The former Brazil international knows Le Mans president Pedro Oliveira personally and is expected to bring his experience and contacts to the club's scouting operation.
Leiva spent ten seasons at Liverpool after arriving from Grêmio in 2007, before moving to Lazio in 2017. He remained in Rome until 2022 and subsequently ended his professional career in 2023. The midfielder won 24 caps for Brazil during his playing career.
His involvement therefore extends a Brazilian connection that is already central to the Le Mans project through OutField.
The club's expanding shareholder group is part of a wider development strategy rather than a conventional recruitment of investors. L'Équipe reports that Le Mans were not actively searching for additional shareholders when Gueye and Leiva became involved, but remained open to people who could contribute strategically to the club's growth.
Gueye and Leiva bring different networks to that project. One strengthens Le Mans' relationship with Senegal and African football, while the other adds experience and contacts from Brazil.
For a club that has returned to Ligue 1 and is building links well beyond France, their involvement adds another dimension to an increasingly international ownership structure.