FC Utrecht have beaten Juventus and Borussia Dortmund to the signing of West Ham United youngster Chukwuemeka Fortune Adiele.
That’s according to De Telegraaf. The Dutch newspaper reports on the deadline day move from the Eredivisie side today, although their window doesn’t close until tomorrow.
According to their information, Utrecht have moved quickly to sign the West Ham youngster after the departures of John Murkin and Kolbeinn Finnsson.
That left them needing a new left-back and they’ve moved to sign Fortune Adiele from West Ham’s reserves.
The 18-year-old left-back had also been targeted by several other European clubs. Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, among others, had been pursuing a potential move. He, though, prefers the switch to Utrecht.
According to De Telegraaf, he sees opportunities to accelerate his development with the Dutch side as young players are given opportunities sooner in the Eredivisie.
He’s now set for a medical examination. And if there’s no problems on that front, he will sign a four-year contract with Utrecht at some point today. The Dutch side are pushing ahead to secure a replacement for Murkin following his sale to Derby today. Kolbeinn has also been allowed to depart, joining Valerenga.
That opened up space in the squad and they’re now filling it with the West Ham United youngster.