By Wale Mustapha
Veteran Nigerian defender Leon Balogun appears set to depart Scottish Premiership side Rangers at the end of the season, with no indications that the club will offer him a contract extension.
According to Football Insider, Rangers are not planning to renew the 36-year-old’s current deal, which expires this summer, despite Balogun’s expressed desire to remain at Ibrox.
Balogun, who is in his second stint with the Light Blues, has made 23 appearances in all competitions this season, contributing experience and leadership to the squad.
He initially joined Rangers in 2020 and spent two seasons with the club before a brief spell away. He returned in 2023, signing a one-year contract extension last summer.
The former Super Eagles centre-back, who also had spells at Brighton & Hove Albion and Wigan Athletic, may now be facing the final chapter of his career at Rangers.
With no contract talks underway, Balogun’s future will likely be one of the key storylines for the club heading into the summer transfer window.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
