Kochi: Kerala Blasters have signed midfielder Danish Farooq from Bengaluru FC. The 26-year-old has been signed until 2026 and is expected to be available for the Blasters' next Indian Super League (ISL) match against East Bengal on February 3.

Farooq, who started his youth career with J&K Bank Football Academy, later joined Lonestar Kashmir and Real Kashmir. With the latter, he became the top scorer and assist-maker in the I-League second division and in the process helped the Snow Leopards qualify for the I-League in 2017-18.

Farooq had joined Bengaluru after spending five years with Real Kashmir. He made 27 appearances for Bengaluru, scoring four goals in the ISL.

After spending 5 years with Real Kashmir, Danish was signed by Bengaluru FC for a two-year deal. He has since made 27 appearances and scored 4 goals in the Hero Indian Super League. His strong physique, scoring capacity, and dribbling skills earned him the name 'Kashmiri Ronaldo'.

"I am really excited to join Kerala Blasters. The atmosphere at Kochi is absolutely electric, I can’t wait to wear the famous yellow jersey and give my best for the team," Farooq said.

Kerala Blasters' sporting director, Karolis Skinkys said: “Danish was one of the key targets from the last season when we saw him in the context of ISL. He has that Playing style, passion, and quality that Kerala Blasters need. I'm happy that we were able to finalize this transfer and reinforce our team at a crucial moment this season. We signed a 3.5-year contract and this is an important move for team consistency in upcoming seasons.”

He has made two national team appearances, both friendlies, against Bahrain and Belarus.

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