Khassa Camara set to sign one-year extension with NorthEast United

The Mauritanian made 21 appearances for NEUFC in ISL 2020-21.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit NorthEast United have handed a one-year extension to Khassa Camara, Khel Now can confirm. The defensive midfielder played a pivotal role in the Highlanders' third-place finish in the league and their qualification to the playoffs last season.

"Khassa Camara will sign an extension with NorthEast United. His performances were vital for the club last season and it's no surprise that they wanted to retain him. As of now, he will remain with them till the end of the upcoming 2021-22 season. There is also an option to extend by another year, if needed," sources close to the developments informed Khel Now.

We also understand that at least three other ISL clubs were interested in acquiring his services at various points of time this summer. This was before NEUFC got him on their books once again.

[KH_ADWORDS type="4" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS]

Khassa Camara's career so far

Camara kick-started his career as a footballer with the second-string team of ES Troyes AC, a club that features in Ligue 2. He earned a promotion to their senior side in 2011 and represented them for four straight seasons. Stints at US Boulogne, GS Ergotelis and AO Xanthi followed, before he shifted base to India.

NorthEast United announced his signing in September 2020. In his maiden ISL season, he clocked 1801 minutes across 21 games. He also completed 816 passes with an accuracy of 74.26%.

The 28-year-old's only goal contribution of the season came in the form of an assist against Chennaiyin FC. He played the role of a defensive midfielder to perfection at NEUFC throughout their 2020-21 campaign, averaging 5.24 tackles, 2.38 interceptions, 1.29 clearances and 1.24 blocks per game.

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News |ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

Additionally, he has also been representing Mauritania in international football, having earned 27 caps for them since 2013.

NorthEast United's pre-season preparations

As mentioned already, NorthEast United did well last season, as evident from their third place in the league. Eventually, ATK Mohun Bagan denied them a place in the final by beating them in the semi-finals.

The Highlanders are now understandably keen to ensure that their performance in ISL 2020-21 was not a one-off. Khalid Jamil is most likely to continue as head coach and he is also in-charge of player transfers. While Camara has already agreed terms on his extension, the club are hopeful that Dylan Fox and Federico Gallego will follow suit. They have also been actively talking to domestic players and other overseas stars, in a bid to rope them in ahead of the next season.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.