Sunday, July 4, 2021 at 6:35 PM• Yanick Vos

Ferdy Druijf will leave AZ again on a rental basis. According to the Gazette of Antwerp KV Mechelen has agreed with the Alkmaarders about a new rental period of one season. In the second half of last season, Mechelen already rented the attacker from AZ. The Belgian newspaper reports that both clubs hope to complete the paperwork on Monday, after which Druijf will join Mechelen’s training as soon as possible in preparation for the new year.

According to reports, the parties involved have reached agreement in recent days about Druijf’s temporary switch. The striker was already missing from AZ’s match selection for the practice match with NEC (4-1 win) last Saturday. It Gazette of Antwerp writes that it had been known for some time that Druijf wanted a longer stay at Mechelen. The attacker had to settle for a reserve role at AZ last season and found his niche in the Belgian league from January; in twenty games he was accurate six times. In his last ten games, Druijf was good for five goals and six assists.

Mechelen coach Wouter Vrancken already announced at the end of last season that he wanted to keep Druijf. However, the surrender sum in AZ’s lease of 3.5 million euros was the biggest obstacle, it sounds like. According to the newspaper, AZ wanted to get rid of Druijf permanently and the player himself also hoped for a definitive transfer, but after weeks of negotiations, a rental construction was again chosen. Druijf, who showed his face on Friday at a barbecue during the closure of the training camp of Mechelen in Oosterbeek, is expected to join the selection of Vrancken in the coming days.

Druijf’s contract with AZ will continue for another three years. In Alkmaar, under trainer Pascal Jansen, he had to deal with competition from Myron Boadu. Technical director Max Huiberts also works according to The Telegraph also to the arrival of Vangelis Pavlidis, who is still under contract with AZ. According to the daily newspaper, the Greek striker has a price tag of two and a half million euros around his neck. The 22-year-old attacker has indicated to the Tilburg club management that he would like to take a step higher in the Netherlands. After Sam Beukema, Pavlidis should be the second summer purchase for AZ.