Prior to the summer transfer window, French Ligue 1 team Lille reportedly made an approach for Gift Orban, a striker for KAA Gent.
The 20-year-old Orban has scored 20 goals in 20 games for Gent since moving to Belgium in January. On June 30th, 2027, his present contract with the Belgian team will come to an end.
According to the Belgian tabloid Voetbalkrankt, the French club is willing to sign the energetic striker as a direct replacement for another former Gent star Jonathan David.
David has scored 22 goals in 35 games this season, and it is anticipated that he will leave the French club this summer in a sizable transfer.
A spot in Europe for the following season is up for grabs for Lille, which is now sixth in Ligue 1.
Gent is requesting a record transfer fee for Orban because they are in desperate need of money to get out of a financial jam.
The rapidly rising Nigerian football sensation revealed his wish to play in the English Premier League in a recent interview about his future.
Orban told Het Laatste Nieuws, “The Premier League is my ultimate dream,” thus he might not want to visit Lille at this stage of his career.
Orban might be persuaded to go to France this summer by the success of his fellow countryman Victor Osimhen, who became a world-class striker after joining Lille in 2019 and then Napoli in 2020.