Striker Sydney Lokale will join Swedish top-flight outfit IFK Värnamo in the June transfer window from Kenyan Premier League side AFC Leopards, The Nerve Africa sources have exclusively learned.
The development comes after Värnamo reached an agreement with Leopards on Wednesday for the player, whose current contract with the latter is set to expire in June 2026. The Swedish club will pay €115,000 (16 million Kenyan shillings) as compensation to finalize the transfer.
Meanwhile, sources close to the 24-year-old’s family revealed that he is expected to sign a long-term five-year contract with Värnamo, which will run until at least 2030. He is expected to become a key part of the team coached by Anes Mravac.
“I can confirm that negotiations have been ongoing for close to three weeks. Everything has been positive, and Sydney (Lokale) will join Värnamo in June (2025) for sure. The sums are significant, as you’ve seen, but for Sydney, it’s also a return to Europe, which has been his dream,” the source told The Nerve Africa in an exclusive interview.
Lokale’s previous and only stint in Europe was with IFK Helsinki in Finland during the 2019/20 season. He has also played for St. Eloi Lupopo in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has featured for KCB Nairobi, Kariobangi, and US Nakuru in Kenya. This season, he has scored six goals in five games for Leopards across both the league and the CAF Confederation Cup.
On the international stage, Lokale has yet to debut for the Kenya national senior team, The Harambee Stars. However, he is part of the squad set to face South Sudan in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers.
