Leon Balogun has been open about the heartbreak of leaving Rangers in the summer of 2022.
The Nigerian international defender was released by Giovanni van Bronckhorst and wound up in the crowd at Ibrox cheering his former teammates on in the Champions League qualifiers.
After a year-long stint with QPR down south, Leon Balogun returned to Rangers in 2023 and has emerged as a key figure in the Ibrox dressing room.
But with the out-of-contract centre-back now 36-years-old, the time may soon come to say goodbye to Ibrox for the final time.
Leon Balogun open to Saud Arabia move
Now, Leon Balogun has been facing questions about a potential transfer to Saudi Arabia when his contract expires in Glasgow.
The defender has admitted that he’s in no rush to leave Ibrox but when it comes to his next move, nothing is off the table.
“I’m not going to run away,” Balogun told Ay Suga Naija Lifestyle.
“Honestly, if I get something that is right for me, and I also have to think of other people, then, definitely, I’ll consider it, but at this moment, it hasn’t been on the card so far.
“I think I’m known to be straight to the point and obviously, the money is a big aspect in this whole conversation. I think last year, there was a big rush, and they’re building something.
“They’re probably working on something towards the next five to six years, hoping it will be an attractive league.”
Leon Balogun could face former Rangers teammate
Since the Saudi Pro League revolution changed the landscape of the transfer market, only one Rangers player has made the switch to the Middle East.
Whilst Steven Gerrard has since moved on from a managerial stint with Al-Ettifaq, Zambian hitman Fashion Sakala is the only time Rangers have got their share of the Saudi investment.
Rangers raked in around £4m from the sale of Sakala to Al-Fayha and the striker has set about making a big impression in Saudi Arabia.
With Sakala finishing the division’s third top scorer last season (17) the striker is proof that there is a platform to both play your football and bank some serious money out East.
Balogun too admits he is open to the project with the financial lure branded a ‘big factor’.
“We shall see if I’ll be part of that project in Saudi,” said Balogun.
“I think they’re trying a different approach, maybe doing something long-term, not to compete with the Premier League, but to make it a respectable league.
“The money is a big factor, and I’m sure they’re not shy, and they’re very aware of it. If I were them, I would use it as well.”
