Junior Ligue: Swiss-Ivorian defender joins HNK Rijeka from Venezia on loan

Swiss-Ivorian left-back Junior Ligue has joined Croatian club HNK Rijeka from Venezia on loan until 30 June 2027.

The 21-year-old defender moves to the SuperSport HNL side after spending the start of the 2026-27 campaign with Venezia, who compete in Italy’s Serie A. Ligue had not played in the league or Italy Cup this season before making the switch on 7 September.

Ligue joined Venezia from FC Zurich in January 2026 in a €2.5m transfer. He subsequently spent the second half of last season on loan at Mantova before returning to Venezia at the end of June.

The move to Rijeka is his third change of club in 2026, following his transfer from Zurich and temporary spell at Mantova. His new contract is scheduled to run until 30 June 2027, when he is due to return to Venezia.

Born in Zurich, Ligue has Switzerland and Ivory Coast listed among his nationalities. He came through the youth system at FC Zurich after joining from SV Seebach in 2015, progressing through the club’s under-16 and under-18 teams before moving to FC Zurich’s under-21 side.

The 1.86m defender is left-footed and operates primarily at left-back. He made the move into senior football with Zurich in January 2023 before establishing himself as a professional player in Italy.

Ligue’s market value is recorded at €2.5m, matching the figure attached to his move from FC Zurich to Venezia earlier this year. His previous transfer history also includes loan moves between Venezia and Mantova, with the latter spell ending on 30 June.

Rijeka have now completed the addition of Ligue for the 2026-27 season, with the player contracted to remain in Croatia on loan until next June.