Eligijus Jankauskas is poised to move to Israeli Hapoel Rishon LeZion, according to Lithuanian football journalist Mantas Krasnickas, citing a completed agreement and only final contract details remaining before formalisation. The 27-year-old striker has spent recent seasons with FA Šiauliai in the Lithuanian A Lyga, where he played primarily as a winger and attacking midfielder. He registered 18 goals last season, finishing as the league’s top scorer.
Jankauskas came through youth football in Šiauliai and has a varied club career spanning Lithuanian sides and stints abroad, including at MŠK Žilina in Slovakia and Michalovce on loan before returning to Lithuania. He is also a current Lithuanian international with 12 caps.
Hapoel Rishon LeZion compete in Israel’s Liga Leumit, the country’s second division, and the move would offer Jankauskas a new challenge outside of Europe. The Israeli club is currently joint-5th in the table, with 27 points after 19 matches and trailing leaders by 13 points. Thus, Jankauskas’s scoring record in the A Lyga could make him a key attacking option for the final part of the season.
