Lecce Close in On Four-Year Deal For Gent Top Scorer Omri Gandelman
Lecce are on the verge of completing their first signing of the January transfer window.
Charlie Rhodes
Updated on 09 January 2026
Lecce are close to pulling off a real coup to bolster their attacking options, with Gent’s Omri Gandelman on the verge of making the switch.
Lecce are once again dipping their toes into Pro League market, with Omri Gandelman set to be the third player to join the Serie A side from Belgium in the past two years.
The Israeli international is flying to Lecce on Friday to undergo medical tests, although it is unclear what the conditions of the deal are expected to be.
Lecce’s preference is for an initial loan deal with a mandatory option to buy, while Gent are eager to have the entire fee paid now in order for them to reinvest themselves in January.
If a permanent deal is reached immediately, it is likely Gent will receive a fee in the region of €5m.
🛬 Il calciatore Omri Gandelman è appena atterrato all’aeroporto di Brindisi e si sta dirigendo a Lecce, dove in giornata svolgerà le visite mediche pic.twitter.com/vXo2TMxWWv
— U.S. Lecce (@OfficialUSLecce) January 9, 2026
Lecce Close in On Gent Midfielder Omri Gandelman
Alongside Parma, Lecce are the joint-lowest scorers in Serie A this season having netted just 12 goals in 18 games.
That has forced them into the transfer market to solve their goalscoring issues mid-way through the season, and Gent’s Omri Gandelman may just offer them the necessary solution.
The 25-year-old, who was initially signed as an imposing, deep-lying midfielder, has been transformed into one of the Pro League’s biggest goal threats.
Gandelman is the club’s top scorer this season with seven league goals, and since making the switch to Belgium, he has scored double figures in the two full seasons he has spent at Gent.
Lecce Hope For More Luck From the Belgian Pro League
It comes as somewhat of a surprise to see Lecce dive back into the Belgian Pro League to remedy their goal-shy attack.
Nikola Stulic and Konon N’Dri both arrived from the Pro League over the course of the last year, with the former being touted as Pantaelo Corvino’s biggest mistake after scoring just once since joining in the summer, while the latter has appeared on 24 occasions for Lecce, scoring twice.
However, Gandelman arrives off the back of a hugely fruitful season so far, and a proven track record of finding the net, even when he is not being used as Gent’s main goal threat.
It may prove to be a real coup for Lecce, who have had to ward off interest from elsewhere in Serie A – not least Bologna, who were said to be keen on Gandelman in the summer.
Charlie Rhodes
Charlie has built a deep portfolio across a wealth of sports websites, with a heavy focus on Europe's top five leagues. He has a long-standing interest in Serie A having grown up watching Football Italia on Channel 4 as a child. With extensive experience tailored towards news, long-form content and heavily researched features, Charlie has also garnered experience in several roles in the fintech and marketing sector.
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