Joseph Okumu wants ‘a big role’ at future club amid Celtic and Rangers interest

Add as preferred source on Google

Celtic and Rangers target Joseph Okumu has laid out his intentions this summer if he was to move from Elfsborg in the transfer window.

In an interview with Swedish outlet Fotboll Direkt, the 24-year-old Kenyan defender revealed that he wants to play for a club where he will have a ‘big role’ with the team.

Moreover, Okumu has started six of Elfsborg’s nine Allsvenskan league games this season.

Joseph Okumu is a wanted man this summer

Aftonbladet report that the Scottish giants are keen on the defender, with Elfsborg valuing Okumu at €4m (£3.4m).

Indeed, the defender has already had a bid rejected from Ligue 1 side FC Lorient of €2.5m (£2.1m) as reported by L’Equipe. Stade de Reims are also interested in Okumu.

When asked about his future, the former Real Monarch’s defender was coy about what could happen in the transfer window. However, Okumu is set on playing for a club where he would play regular first-team football.

The 24-year-old said: “If I go, I want it to be somewhere where I can make an impression, show my qualities. Not somewhere where I’m just part of the team, I want to play a big role.”

Celtic and Rangers could be set for a bidding war

Both Celtic and Rangers have been credited with an interest in Okumu this summer. And the two Scottish giants could be set for a bidding war for the Kenyan international.

Yet the defender’s comments sheds some light on his thinking as we approach the transfer window. Furthermore, his ambitions for his next club might cause some problems for Celtic and Rangers.

Although both clubs could do with defensive reinforcements in the summer, first-team football might not be a guarantee for Okumu unless either team sell a crucial centre-back in the summer.