Gift Orban Joins Olympique Lyon

Nigerian striker, Gift Orban, has reportedly signed a contract with French Ligue 1 club, Olympique Lyon.

This means Gift Orban is expected to leave his Belgian club, KAA Gent, this January to start a new phase in his football career.

Naija News gathered that the 21-year-old Nigerian striker is expected to complete his medical examination in France later today, January 17.

Reports in France claimed that Olympique Lyon paid KAA Gent the sum of €13 million to seal the deal, which is expected to be made official later today.

Gift Orban’s deal with Lyon is expected to last until June 30, 2028, as he becomes the latest Nigerian player to join a club in one of the top five leagues in Europe.

Note that Orban started his football career at a grassroots side in Nigeria, Bison FC. He moved on loan to a Norwegian club, Stabæk, in May 2022. He made the move permanent in August 2022 for an undisclosed fee.

On January 31, 2023, the youngster left Stabæk for Belgian side, KAA Gent for a transfer fee worth €3.30 million.

So far at the club, Gift Orban has scored a total of 32 goals and provided two assists in 52 games in all competitions.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t join the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast because of an alleged tussle between the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the football body in Togo, claiming that Orban has ties with the country.