By Korede James
Swiss club FC Basel have agreed a deal with United Arab Emirates (UAE) club Al Wahda for their Nigerian winger Philip Otele.
European transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed on Monday night that Otele is expected to join Basel on loan with an option for €3 million, adding that he would undergo a medical on Tuesday.
This season, Otele has played 12 games in all competitions (10 league games, two in the UAE League Cup) for Al Wahda without scoring a goal.
In the 12-team Switzerland Super League, Basel are currently in the second position on 30 points, just one point behind leaders Lugano.
Basel have won the league title 20 times and the last time they were crowned champions was in the 2016-2017 season.
Born in Port Harcourt, Otele began his senior career at Wolviston FC, competing in the English lower leagues between 2017 and 2019.
In May 2019, he signed a contract with Lithuanian club Kauno Žalgiris and established himself as a regular starter in the 2021 season, scoring ten goals and helping the club to a consecutive third place in the national league.
He signed for Romanian club CFR Cluj in the summer of 2023 and finished the 2023–2024 season as the Liga I joint-top scorer with 18 goals.
