Lyon have officially confirmed that they have completed the signing of Gift Orban (21) from Gent via their official social media accounts. The Nigerian striker has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Les Gones which should keep him at the Groupama Stadium until 2028.
The 21-year-old has signed for the Rhône club for a fee in the region of €13m, according to L’Équipe. Orban has previously been linked with the likes of Lille and Tottenham but will now be playing his football for OL in Ligue 1. The Nigeria U21 international rose to prominence following an impressive run of form in 2022 which saw him score 20 goals in 22 appearances for KVV Gent. Since this prolificity, the former Bison FC striker’s output has slowed but he has still been impressive in Europe this season with 9 goals in 10 appearances in the Europa Conference League.
Lyon’s first Nigerian
Despite having 582 players play for OL, Orban is the first Nigerian player to play for the club. The former Gent forward is Lyon’s second attacking signing from Belgium in the January window following the capture of Malick Fofana (18) for €17m from Gent. Orban may initially struggle to replace Lacazette in the starting lineup for Lyon but he will add some much-needed added potency for Les Gones.
GFFN | Liam Wraith
