By Dayo Awoniyi
Trabzonspor is reportedly eyeing Rennes forward Kazeem Olaigbe as part of its strategic rebuild for the 2025/2026 Turkish Super Lig season.
The Turkish club is determined to bounce back from a disappointing 7th-place finish and a Turkish Cup final defeat to Galatasaray last year, with a goal of securing a European spot.
Club officials have identified the 21-year-old Belgian-Nigerian as a potential long-term replacement for injury-prone winger Andriy Zubkov, citing his creativity and flair in the final third as key assets for the squad.
Olaigbe, born in Belgium to Nigerian parents, has represented Belgium at the U20 level but remains eligible to play for the Super Eagles.
He began his professional career at Anderlecht before moving to Southampton in 2019, where he spent time on loan at Ross County in Scotland.
Last season, Olaigbe made 10 appearances for Ligue 1 side Rennes, though he failed to find the back of the net.
Despite this, Trabzonspor is hopeful that a change of environment could unlock the forward’s potential and bring out the best in his game.
With the Turkish side looking to make a major push for European football, the addition of a versatile attacking talent like Olaigbe could be a crucial step in their ambitions for the upcoming season.
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.
