NEC Nijmegen Director frustrated as Kodai Sano’s move to PSV nears completion

NEC Nijmegen Director frustrated as Kodai Sano’s move to PSV nears completion Kodai Sano is close to completing his switch from NEC Nijmegen to PSV. However, he may be leaving the Goffertstadion under a cloud . Although PSV and NEC have agreed to a transfer fee of €20 million, frustrations have arisen regarding the Japanese international’s decision to leave Greece with NEC gearing up for their Champions League qualifying bout with Olympiakos. According to Voetbal International , Sano told manager Dick Schreuder that he was unable to play, although he was an expected starter. Speaking on the matter, a venting Technical Director Carlos Aalbers said: “This is extremely annoying and very disappointing. (Playing) Agreements have been broken. I will not elaborate on that. Sano did not want to play, and we do not want a player in the team who does not want to play.” He continued, “We did everything we could to change Sano’s mind. We told him yesterday: sleep on it. But this morning (Tuesday) he requested a meeting with the manager and indicated that he cannot play. That is the end of it for us.” Last season, Sano was one of NEC’s star players, turning out 34 times in the Eredivisie as the Gelderland side finished third and earned them their first-ever spot in the Champions League qualifiers. He scored three times and registered seven assists as tenacious midfield performances earned him acclaim in the Netherlands and further afield. Without Sano, NEC ultimately drew 0-0 away at Olympiakos. The second leg of this third round of qualifying will take place next week. At the time of writing, Sano has undertaken a medical in Eindhoven and is expected to be unveiled as a PSV player later this week. GBeNeFN  |  Max Bradfield