Michael Olunga: Harambee Stars Captain Wanted by Asian Giants Ahead of Club World Cup

Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga could be playing for a new club as soon as this month after leaving Qatari side Al Duhail last week.

Olunga parted ways with Al Duhail after a four-and-a-half-year spell that yielded several goals and trophies, making him the club’s all-time top scorer with 130 goals.

However, the Doha-based club have opted against extending his stay, making him a free agent, and now, there is reported interest in him from a country that he is so familiar with.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports

As per J Football Now, which reports all matters Japanese football, Asian giants Urawa Red Diamonds are exploring the possibility of signing Olunga this month.

“Urawa Reds are interested in signing former Kashiwa forward Michael Olunga,” the account said via a social media post.

That leaves Olunga potentially on the verge of making a sensational return to Japan where he left as a legend in his own right,

Olunga played for Kashiwa Reysol from August 2018 to January 2021, where he set a number of records, scoring 27 goals in the 2019 season as they won promotion from J2 to the top flight, including a record eight in a 13-1 victory over Kyoto Sanga in November 2019.

He would make it even better in the top flight, managing 28 league goals in 2020 to win the Golden Boot and MVP Award, becoming the first African to achieve that feat in the J-League. Olunga left for Al Duhail in January 2021 after scoring 61 goals in 78 games while providing 15 assists.

Having continued his scoring prowess in Qatar, Olunga has remained an attractive prospect for clubs and reports indicate that Urawa Red Diamonds want to sign him ahead of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup which kicks off on June 14 in the United States.

At the Club World Cup, Urawa are in the same group with UEFA Champions League beaten finalists Inter Milan, Argentina giants River Plate and Mexican side Monterrey.

Urawa, who are currently third in the J-League with 34 points from 21 matches, six behind leaders Kashima Antlers, are four-time champions of Japan, while they have won the prestigious Asian Champions League three times in 2007, 2017 and 2022.

Founded in 1950, Urawa are one of Japan’s oldest clubs and are based in the city of Saitama with their home ground being the Saitama Stadium, whose capacity is 63,700.