Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 13:55• Jeroen van Poppel • Last update: 14:03

Feyenoord has new hope that Lutsharel Geertruida will commit to the club for longer. The Rotterdammers have reopened talks with the entourage of the 21-year-old defender, it reports General Newspaper. Previously, the negotiations failed due to the exorbitant demands from Geertruida, who has only been fixed for one year.

Geertruida, who was Feyenoord’s permanent right back last season but can also play centrally in the defense and midfield, is regarded by Arne Slot as an important pawn for the future of the club. The wing defender would also prefer to stay, knows General Newspaper, but will have to add water to the wine for that.

Previously revealed Feyenoord Transfermarkt that Geertruida asked for an annual salary of 1.8 million euros gross per year, while Feyenoord did not want to go further than half. Due to the huge difference between supply and demand, contract negotiations were discontinued after four months, technical director Frank Arnesen reported. The situation has changed, now that ‘both parties have firmly put their heads together behind the scenes to reach an agreement’, according to the newspaper.

Feyenoord already hit an important contract point. The club reached an agreement in principle with Justin Bijlow on Wednesday about contract extension. The 23-year-old first goalkeeper will extend his contract for two seasons and will then be stuck in De Kuip until mid-2025.