Nigerian striker and Super Eagles invitee Gift Orban has officially joined Serie A side Hellas Verona on loan from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim, the Italian club confirmed on Wednesday.
The agreement will see Verona pay a €1 million loan fee while covering the 23-year-old’s full wages.
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The deal also includes a €9 million option to buy at the end of the 2025/26 season, making Orban’s move a potentially permanent switch.
This transfer marks the fourth club in just 31 months for Orban, who continues to carve out a reputation as one of Nigeria’s most exciting forwards in Europe.
He first burst onto the scene in 2022 with Norwegian side Stabæk, scoring 16 goals and adding seven assists to fire them back into the Eliteserien.
His prolific form earned him a move to Belgian club KAA Gent in January 2023, where he made an instant impactscoring twice on his league debut and later netting the fastest hat-trick in UEFA competition history (three goals in under four minutes).
Orban ended that season with 20 goals in 22 matches.
In January 2024, he moved to French giants Olympique Lyonnais, contributing five goals across Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.
Twelve months later, he switched to Hoffenheim in Germany, where he managed four goals in 13 Bundesliga appearances.
During his unveiling on Wednesday in Verona, the club said: “Hellas Verona FC extends a warm welcome to Gift, wishing him a future full of personal and professional success in the Gialloblù shirt.”
With this fresh challenge in Italy, Orban will aim to rediscover his scoring form and play a key role in helping Verona achieve their Serie A ambitions.
