Gor Mahia defender Karim Nizigiyimana in action against Ushuru FC. PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 2- Rwandese side Rayon Sport are looking to re-sign Karim Nizigiyimana and Abouba Sibomana, two years after they left the club for former Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia.
The two fullbacks are out of contract at Gor and Capital Sports understands Rayon who will represent Rwanda in the CAF Confederations Cup this year are eager to lure them back as they look to strengthen their ranks.
“They were here and did very good service for the club. We are monitoring their contract situations closely and we would like to have them now that we are playing continental football,” a source at Rayon said.
Burundian Nizigiyimana, named Kenya’s best defender in his debut season in 2015 has been a mainstay in the starting 11 but his Rwandese counterpart Sibomana found it hard to get playing time in 2016 despite an explosive debut season in 2015.
Youngster Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma’s performances for club and country meant Sibomana could only be used on the bench or in handful occasions when head coach Jose Marcelo Ferreira decided to play Ouma upfront.
However, Gor chair Ambrose Rachier has confirmed to Capital Sport they have invited the two for contract talks this week.
“I have confirmed that Karim is arriving on Tuesday and we have set a meeting for Wednesday with him. We also invited Sibomana but I am yet to get confirmation of when he arrives. I am quite optimistic we will reach an agreement and they will remain with us,” Rachier said.
The arrival of another Rwandese Jean Baptiste Mugiraneza complicates the situation as Gor have to drop one foreigner to stay within the KPL quota of five.
The Gor chair has disclosed they will want to finish up their transfer business by January 10 to ensure the entire team has a longer period together during pre-season.
“As soon as next week we will be unveiling our new players. We are already in advanced talks with Mugiraneza and he will be joining. There are others coming as well, very interesting names I assure. Our target is to finish this business early so that the playerscan have enough time to gel,” Rachier added.
He also affirmed they are on the verge of agreeing a new deal with goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch whose two year contract also ended on new year’s day.
Meanwhile, youngster Ouma might also be out of the club with his contract having run out. The players is understood to be keen on a European move with several clubs interested in landing his services.
