East Bengal linked with Ivory Coast forward Ake Loba

Ake Loba, the 28-year-old Ivory Coast centre-forward currently without a club, has been linked with a move to Indian Super League side East Bengal FC.

Loba has been without a club since 12 February 2026, when he left Al-Shomooa SC after a short spell with the Libyan Premier League side. He had joined Al-Shomooa in November 2025, also as a player without a club.

The right-footed striker previously represented Club Tijuana, Nashville and Monterrey, with his time in Mexico accounting for some of the most productive periods of his career. He scored 16 goals in 40 Liga MX Apertura appearances and added seven goals in 45 Clausura outings.

Loba began his senior career with Ivorian club SO Armee before moving to Peru’s Universidad San Martin in 2018. He subsequently joined Mexican football, where he won the Mexican Cup with Monterrey in the 2019-20 season. Monterrey also won the CONCACAF Champions League in 2021, although Loba later left the club for Nashville that year.

His latest recorded market value is €650,000. The available details do not indicate that Loba is under contract, leaving his current status as a free agent while East Bengal’s reported interest develops.