Nottingham Forest failed in their late approach to sign NEC Nijmegen’s Kodai Sano in the winter market.
On Tuesday, ESPN NL reported NEC Nijmegen rejected a €20m offer submitted by Sean Dyche’s side on deadline day.
Later that day, the 22-year-old midfielder expressed his disappointment over the Dutch club’s decision to turn down Nottingham Forest’s bid. He also expressed his desire to take the next step in his career.
“I came to NEC to eventually take the next step. I was hoping to make a move this winter, but I also understand the club’s situation. Now I’m focusing on the summer,” he said.
Algemeen Dagblad give their take on the Dutch club not accepting Nottingham Forest’s proposal for the 22-year-old.
The decision initially came as a surprise. The newspaper says that normally only Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord would be able to do that.
NEC Nijmegen’s budget is around €24m. Therefore, rejecting the Reds’ bid at first didn’t make sense financially.
The newspaper states: ‘That’s insane at first glance, of course. NEC has a budget of €24m. So, it’s actually financially irresponsible to throw away €20m.’
NEC Nijmegen took the risk mainly because of their investor, Marcel Boekhoorn. He had a role in Robin Roefs’ sale to Sunderland last summer.
Nottingham Forest rejection represents huge gamble
AD state Boekhoorn has already invested around €20m into the club. He had convinced the board to reject Nottingham Forest’s offer for the Japan international. With his backing, the Dutch club can take the risk of rejecting such bids.
The Eredivisie side are third in the table, a point behind second placed Feyenoord. They can raise €40m by qualifying for the Champions League and retaining Sano improves their chances of achieving it. There’s also a possibility of Sano’s price dropping, resulting in a loss of millions for his club.
Therefore, AD say it’s a ‘courageous decision’ from NEC Nijmegen not to entertain the bid from the Premier League side.