Ridgeciano Haps may leave Feyenoord on the last day of the transfer market. According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, there is concrete interest from Venezia, the current last in Serie A, and the deal for the left back of Feyenoord is almost complete. Haps has a contract in De Kuip until mid-2022, but he is nevertheless open to a departure. It is not yet known what Feyenoord uses as a transfer fee at the moment.
Haps has to tolerate Tyrell Malacia at Feyenoord, so that an early departure seems to be the best solution for all parties. Should the 28-year-old wing defender actually choose Venezia, he will play together with Dennis Johnsen, Tyronne Ebuehi and Niki Mäenpää, all of whom have a history as a player in the Eredivisie. According to Di Marzio, this is a definitive transfer and not a rental deal with an option to buy.
If Feyenoord sell Haps to Venezia on the final day, Fredrik André Björkan will appear as an asset to the selection of trainer Arne Slot. The 22-year-old left back is currently under contract with the Norwegian Bodö/Glimt. Björkan was also in the picture at Feyenoord at the end of June, but no contracts were signed then. The Rotterdam team did manage to capture right back Marcus Holmgren Pedersen at the time.
Haps was acquired from AZ for six million euros in 2017 and expectations were high. Partly due to injuries, however, he never managed to conquer a permanent place as left back. The competition now seems to have been definitively won by Malacia. Haps made 72 appearances for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie in the past four seasons.
Club watcher Mikos Gouka from the General Newspaper reports that Feyenoord is very interested in selling Haps, in order to realize the arrival of Micky van de Ven. In that context, Wouter Burger was already waved goodbye to FC Basel. According to Feyenoord Transfermarkt it is an ‘all-or-nothing attempt’ for Van de Ven. Talks are currently taking place between Feyenoord and FC Volendam, but there would be ‘a huge number of snags’. Slot hopes after Reiss Nelson, who is undergoing a medical today and then is hired from Arsenal for the rest of the season, for a striker to replace Robert Bózenik and a central defender.