Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 12:03 PM• Guy Habets

NEC is not yet ready on the transfer market after the upcoming arrival of Jasper Cillessen. The Gelderlander knows that the Nijmegen club intends to surprise again and sign Jürgen Locadia, but that it is annoyed by the attitude of the striker. After weeks of waiting, he would still not have given his yes.

NEC’s interest in Locadia is no longer a secret, as it was reported back in June. Since then, however, it has remained silent about the former PSV attacker, whose contract with VfL Bochum expired last season. As a result, Locadia is free to go where he wants and he can move to Nijmegen on a free transfer, but his status also makes him attractive to other clubs. Partly because of this, the 28-year-old Emmen has not yet made a choice.

That does not sit well with NEC, writes The Gelderlander. There is still interest in Locadia, but it also believes that ‘the wait-and-see attitude of the clubless striker is taking too long’. The hope is that bringing in Cillessen can make Locadia and other players more inclined to come to the Goffert. “The transfer of Cillessen is being discussed worldwide,” says trainer Rogier Meijer. “If a player is in doubt between us and another club, this may be a reason why they choose NEC.”

What is certain is that the Nijmegen club and technical director Ted van Leeuwen will still be active during the last weeks of the transfer market. In addition to the striker position for which Locadia is in the picture, there is also a search for a central defender and a wing attacker. “Reinforcing with a goalkeeper was not the greatest priority, but the other positions are still ongoing,” Meijer noted. “One is not at the expense of the other. We are busy and are confident that more players will come.”