French club Lorient bid Sh400 million for Okumu
By Nahashon MusunguFrench side Lorient has opened up a bidding war for the services of Kenyan defender Joseph Okumu by slapping in a Sh400 million bid.
As per Sweden publication Sport Bladet, there is a huge ‘risk’ the 24-year old centre-back will not finish the current league season at top-flight club Elfsborg after interest in his services intensified.
The publication adds that there are up to five clubs interested in the former Chemelil Sugar defender.
Besides Lorient which finished in 16th place in the just concluded league season, Reims, which managed a 14th place posting in the same competition is also willing to pay a similar amount.
But Elfsborg are holding out for Sh55 million.
Then there is Scottish champions Rangers, managed by former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard which is set to compete in the UEFA Champions League in the 2021/2021 season making it probably the most attractive option for the Harambee Stars defender
Rangers are rivaled in interest for Okumu by cross-town rivals Celtic and Belgian side Ghent, a side that used to be home to ex-Kenya international Mike Okoth. The bid from these three clubs are believed to be short of what the French teams are offering
“I can not comment on any details,” said Okumu’s agent Stefan Andreasson
“We’ve had some clubs that want to act, not just one club.”
Okumu’s contract with the Sweden-based club has a year left and there were reports the club wanted to extend it. But it hasn’t happened.
Okumu who enjoyed a season-long stint at South African club Free State Stars is one of the mainstays in the Kenya national team which is preparing to compete at the 2021 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.