Panathinaikos Signs Sylvain Francisco After Reported €450,000 Buyout

Overview

• Panathinaikos completed the signing of French guard Sylvain Francisco after reports said the club paid a €450,000 buyout to ASVEL, a move first reported late Wednesday and announced by the club on Thursday.
• Francisco described the process as extremely rapid, saying negotiations unfolded within hours after he landed in Greece and that he “went where I wanted to go.”
• Multiple outlets reported Francisco’s Panathinaikos salary at roughly €3.5 million per year, a figure presented as a media estimate rather than a joint confirmation from all parties.
• Panathinaikos’ offer and ASVEL’s strained finances were cited as key factors that enabled the transfer, with ASVEL having earlier expressed a wish to keep the player but facing budget limits.
• Francisco arrives off a breakout 2025–26 season with Zalgiris—All‑EuroLeague First Team and Finals MVP honors—and he cited EuroLeague opportunity, chemistry with French national teammates on Panathinaikos, and the chance to work under coach Željko Obradović as reasons for the move.