Leon Balogun has revealed he is leaving Rangers and expressed his “sadness” regret not saying goodbye to fans

Leon Balogun has revealed he is leaving Rangers and expressed his “sadness” that he was not given the opportunity to say goodbye to the club’s supporters.

The 36-year-old centre-half’s contract runs until the end of May, but in an Instagram post, he expressed surprise that he would not be extending his stay with the Scottish Premiership runners-up.

Balogun made 30 appearances this season, 21 of them starts, including the final four games under interim head coach Barry Ferguson.

“If I would have known that the last two games of the season were my last, I would have made sure to say goodbye to you all accordingly,” he said.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t afforded that opportunity, which saddens me as I would have liked to have walked round Ibrox one last time and returned all the love and support you’ve given me during my two stints.”

Berlin-born Nigeria international Balogun first joined Rangers after leaving Wigan Athletic in 2020.

He left for Queens Park Rangers in 2022 but returned to Ibrox after a year with the Championship club.

Balogun was initially viewed as back-up on his return but became a regular starter this season as Robin Propper fell out of favour.

Announcing his departure, he praised the fans and “people working for the club behind the scenes”, adding that it had been an “honour”, “privilage” and “pleasure” to play for “this massive club”.