By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian striker Umar Sadiq may be set for a big-money move to the Middle East, with an unnamed Qatari club reportedly preparing a €30 million bid for the in-form forward ahead of the summer transfer window.
Sadiq, 28, is currently on loan at Valencia from fellow La Liga side Real Sociedad. Since arriving at the Mestalla in January, he has made a strong impact, scoring five goals in 13 appearances for Los Che.
His performances have not only caught the attention of Valencia, who reportedly plan to activate their purchase option, but have also attracted interest from Qatar, where a lucrative offer is being lined up.
The Spanish club, who are closely monitoring the situation, could choose to sign Sadiq permanently and then sell him for a significant profit if the Qatari bid materializes.
Sadiq’s potential move would mark another high-profile transfer of a Nigerian international to the Middle East, following a trend of African players joining Qatari and Saudi clubs in recent seasons.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
