Leon Balogun hopeful of extending his contract with Rangers at the end of the season

SUPER Eagles centreback Leon Balogun is hoping to extend his contract with Rangers or move on to new pastures in the summer if he does not get an extension pointing out that he feels he still has a lot more to give despite his advancing years.

Balogun, 33, is in the last two months of his contract with the Scottish Premiership champions and it is still unclear whether he has been offered a fresh deal. Last season, Balogun was a key player for Rangers, helping them win the title in his maiden season following his transfer from Brighton & Hove in the English Premier League.

This season, Balogun has played a part in Rangers being on the brink of qualifying for the final of the UEFA Europa League plus reaching the Scottish Cup final. Speaking to the official website of Mainz, his last club in Germany prior to moving to the England, Balogun said:  "I'm confident enough to say I feel in great shape and have a few more years to play."

Two days ago, Rangers announced the passing of long-serving kit man Jimmy Bell after 30 years at the club. Balogun has said that the Rangers are motivated to beat RB Leipzig in the Europa League semi final second leg tonight and qualify for the final in memory of their legendary kit man.

"Emotionally, it's clearly another motivation now. If we do it, it would be the best thing we can do for Jimmy's memory. It might sound crazy if you're not part of the Rangers family but I would say that there is nobody who wanted to win games for this club as badly as this man. We'll keep that in mind when we enter the stadium," Balogun added.

This season, Balogun has been involved in nine of the 13matches played by Rangers in the Europa League and got his name on the scoresheet twice, against Brondby and Red Star Belgrade.  He wears the number 26 shirt.