Romanian SuperLiga club Rapid Bucharest have officially confirmed the signing of Nigerian forward David Ankeye on a loan deal from Serie A side Genoa, Soccernet.football reports.
The 22-year-old will remain with Rapid until the end of the current season as he seeks more consistent playing opportunities.
Ankeye touched down in Bucharest on Monday, with the move designed to fill the void left by Aaron Boupendza, who is no longer part of Rapid’s plans. Genoa’s decision to send Ankeye out on loan comes after a lack of regular game time in Italy.
This season, Ankeye has made five substitute appearances in Serie A, featuring against top sides like Juventus, Atalanta, and Lazio.
However, his playing time has been limited to just 52 minutes in total, with the forward also enduring nine consecutive matches as an unused substitute before the loan move materialised.
Speaking about his transfer, Ankeye expressed his enthusiasm for the challenge ahead. “I know Rapid as a historic club in Romania, I followed the championship since I was in Moldova,” he said.
“Before coming here, I followed the team, the fans, and I am very motivated to be at Rapid. I can’t wait to play and give everything for the team, to make the fans happy. I promise to give 100% in every match and take the team to the highest level.”
With his move sealed, Ankeye becomes the sixth Nigerian footballer to join Rapid following in the footsteps of Rapid Bucharest
Olubayo Adefemi, Henry Makinwa, Funsho Bamgboye, David Onyeanula, and Emmanuel Ndigwe.
Ankeye, a product of Nigeria’s Sidos FC, brings experience from previous stints with clubs such as Hammarby (Sweden), Hammam Sousse (Tunisia), and FC Sheriff (Moldova). Notably, he scored three goals in European competitions last season, including a brace against BATE Borisov and another against Servette Geneva.
Rapid Bucharest currently sit sixth in the Romanian top-flight standings with 32 points from 22 games.