Gent chairman Ivan De Witte has said that the sale of striker Gift Orban is not mandatory, but that the club would consider a “more than attractive proposal” for the Nigerian international.
Orban, 21, has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, who are looking for a replacement for Harry Kane following his departure to Bayern Munich. The striker has scored 20 goals in 22 appearances for Gent since joining the club from Stabaek in January 2023.
De Witte told Het Laatste Nieuws via voetbal24: “Without that capital increase it would have been a different story, but now we no longer have to sell. Which does not alter the fact that a financial buffer is always a good thing.”
“Football remains business, hey – you can’t be naive. Suppose there is a more than attractive proposal for Orban, then you have to think about it.”
However, De Witte stressed that Gent are not under any pressure to sell Orban and that they would only part with him if the offer was right.
“It’s not that it’s mandatory. That pressure has eased a lot thanks to Sam Baro,” he said.
Baro is the new majority shareholder of Gent and he has pledged to invest in the club and help them achieve their goals.
The potential transfer of Orban to Tottenham is one of the most talked-about stories in European football at the moment. The striker is a highly talented player with a bright future ahead of him, and he would be a significant signing for any club.
It remains to be seen whether Tottenham will be able to agree a deal with Gent for Orban, but the fact that the Belgian club are not under any pressure to sell gives them a strong bargaining position.
The transfer window closes on September 1, so it will be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming weeks.
