League champions APR FC on Monday, July 12, unveiled six new signings while five more players signed contract extensions as the club beefs up its squad in a bid to dominate next season and impress in the CAF Champions League.
Arguably the busiest club on the transfer market so far, the army side is reportedly monitoring striker Meddie Kagere’s situation at SC Simba with a possibility to buy him for a possible reunion with his friend and national team strike partner Jacques Tuyisenge.
The duo shared memorable moments of glory during their time together at Kenyan football Giants Gor Mahia between 2016 and 2018 where they formed one of the most feared striking combinations in the club’s history.
Kagere left Gor Mahia in 2018 to join Tanzania’s Simba SC while Tuyisenge was signed by Angola’s Petro Atletico in 2019 before returning to Rwanda last year to lead the front line for APR FC in a mega money move that saw him become the highest paid football in Rwanda with a monthly salary of Rwf3.5 million on top of match bonuses and other benefits.
The striker, however, struggled for goals during the just-concluded 2020/21 league season until the likes of Lague Byiringiro stepped up to score important goals that helped the club win the league title on goal difference.
And, now that the 20-year-old was sold to Swiss second tier side Neuchatel Xamax, APR FC is reportedly interested in signing Kagere whose contract at Tanzanian side SC Simba expires at the end of this month.
Kagere is understood to be open for talks with any club which is ready to meet his Rwf 80 million signing fee and APR FC is, according to media reports, leading the race to sign him at Rwf 60 million and partner him alongside Tuyisenge to reinvent their partnership ahead of the CAF Champions League.
The duo played together at Police FC between 2011 and 2012 and a third spell together is on the cards as their experience would be key to avoiding an early elimination from Africa’s premier club competition.
Despite helping Simba clinch their 22nd league title last weekend, the fourth in a row, Kagere has been struggling for game time since former Rayon Sports head coach Didier Gomez da Rosa arrived at the club, pushing him to consider his future elsewhere.
There have been reports in Tanzania that Yanga is keen to sign him but the striker denied that reports, insisting that only he knows where his future lies.