FC Utrecht gets goalkeeper Branderhorst (NEC) – Manchester City buys Kovacic (Chelsea)
Manchester City reinforces with Chelsea midfielder Kovacic
Mateo Kovacic is switching from Chelsea to Manchester City in the Premier League. The champions will pay 25 million British pounds (about 29 million euros converted) for the Croatian midfielder.
The 29-year-old Kovacic signs a four-year contract with Manchester City, which won the Champions League and FA Cup in addition to the English title last season.
Manchester City lost midfielder Ilkay Gündogan to FC Barcelona earlier this transfer period.
Vos remains coach of Jong Ajax
Dave Vos will remain trainer of Jong Ajax. The Amsterdam club extended the trainer’s contract Tuesday by two years, until the summer of 2025. Youth coach Yuri Rose will become his assistant.
The 40-year-old Vos succeeded John Heitinga, who transferred to the first team, in February. Jong Ajax finished thirteenth in the first division.
VfL Bochum acquires midfielder Bero from Vitesse
Matus Bero is swapping Vitesse for VfL Bochum in the German Bundesliga. The 27-year-old Slovak midfielder comes over free of charge after five seasons with the Arnhem club. The Slovak international has signed a contract with Bochum until mid-2026.
According to technical director Marc Lettau, Bero possesses many qualities that can help the team move forward. “Coach Thomas Letsch knows his qualities, which Bero has also shown as captain,” he said. Letsch previously worked with Bero as coach of Vitesse from 2020 to 2022.
PSV has striker Pepi in
Ricardo Pepi is headed to PSV. The American started his career with FC Dallas in Major League Soccer and transferred to Augsburg in January 2022. The German club rented the talent to FC Groningen last season, for which he scored 12 goals in 29 premier league matches.
At Augsburg, American international Pepi had a contract until mid-2026. The transfer fee is reportedly around 10 million euros.
FC Utrecht captures NEC goalkeeper Branderhorst
FC Utrecht has reinforced itself with Mattijs Branderhorst. The 29-year-old goalkeeper comes over from NEC free of charge. He signed a two-year contract in the city of Dom. In Nijmegen, Branderhorst lost his place under the crossbar due to the arrival of Jasper Cillessen. He previously played for Willem II and MVV Maastricht,
Frenchman Rabiot remains at Juventus
Midfielder Adrien Rabiot has extended his expiring contract at Juventus by one season. The Italian soccer club acquired the 28-year-old French international from Paris Saint-Germain four years ago for free.
In 48 games last season, Rabiot accounted for 11 goals and six assists.
Juventus finished seventh in Serie A last season, partly because of a hefty points penalty.
Swedish striker for Go Ahead
Swedish striker Victor Edvardsen is the latest addition to Go Ahead Eagles. Edvardsen has signed a three-year contract in Deventer. The single international comes over from Djurgardens IF, with whom he played in the highest league in Sweden.
Edvardsen, by the way, is not related to Oliver Edvardsen, who already played in Deventer last season.
Gazzetta: ‘AZ midfielder Reijnders agreement with AC Milan’
A departure of Tijjani Reijnders at AZ is becoming increasingly likely. The 24-year-old from Zwolle has already personally agreed with AC Milan, according to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
It seems likely that AZ will cooperate on a transfer of Reijnders, although he is still under contract with the Alkmaarders until mid-2027. According to the Gazzetta, the transfer fee would be between 18 and 20 million euros.
United talent Iqbal presented at FC Utrecht
It had been coming for a while, but it is now complete: Zidane Iqbal is going to FC Utrecht. The 20-year-old midfielder has signed for four years and comes over from Manchester United. At the club of coach Erik ten Hag he went through the youth training.
“Zidane is a very creative midfielder, with very good game insight. He plays with guts and has a high speed of action. With his dribbling and passing he is able to speed up the game. We are extremely proud that Zidane wants to take the next step in his development at FC Utrecht,” said technical director Jordy Zuidam.
Iqbal, who was born in Manchester, played three international matches for Iraq.
Reuser becomes youth coach at Ajax
Martijn Reuser is the new trainer of Ajax O17. The Amsterdam native – who played for Ajax in the 1990s – comes over from ADO Den Haag.
There he trained the O15, O16, O18, O19 and O20 in recent years. As a youth coach, he also worked for NAC and the KNVB.
Reuser says he could have started working in Amsterdam earlier, but that he feels the time is only now. “As a coach, I wanted to build my career and eventually get higher and higher. I deliberately did not want to return to Ajax too early in my coaching career, although that possibility has been there. Now it did fit for both parties.”
Boëtius leaves Hertha BSC
Jean-Paul Boëtius is parting ways with Germany’s Hertha BSC. The 29-year-old attacking midfielder signed for three more years in Berlin last year.
“We want to Djanga thank him for his commitment to Hertha BSC and wish him all the best for his future career, both athletically and privately,” said sporting director Benjamin Weber.
Shortly after his transfer to Hertha, Boëtius was diagnosed with a tumor in his testicles. He was successfully operated on that and went on to play 21 league games. Hertha finished last in the Bundesliga and thus will play in the second tier next season.
Keane begins coaching career in Israel
Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv is Robbie Keane’s first club as head coach. The former striker comes over from Leeds United, where he was assistant manager under Sam Allardyce.
As a footballer, Keane became both a record international and Ireland’s all-time top scorer. At the age of 42, Keane now feels ready to give it a go as head coach.
Modric (37) another year at Real
At 37, Luka Modric doesn’t know when to stop. The Croatian midfielder has extended his contract at Real Madrid for one more season.
Modric is entering his twelfth season with ‘the Royal’. He played 488 duels for the club and won no fewer than 23 prizes, including the Champions League five times.
According to various Spanish media, Modric received a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, but is opting for the sporting challenge in Spain.
‘Simons not returning to PSG’
Paris Saint-Germain can reportedly acquire Xavi Simons from PSV for just €6 million in the month of July. The special clause in the contract can only be lifted by the top talent himself, but according to the French sports newspaper l’Équipe the attacker has no intention of doing so.
In Eindhoven, Simons, who is currently vacationing in the Dominican Republic, is assured of plenty of playing time. With next year’s European Championship in mind, that is an important factor for the 20-year-old dribbler.
PSV’s first training session under new coach Peter Bosz is already scheduled for July 3. As it looks now, Simons will also be there then. The number two of last season plays the match for the Johan Cruijff Schaal on Aug. 4 and a few days later the first match in the preliminary round of the Champions League is scheduled.
Dammers swaps Willem II for Randers FC
Wessel Dammers is transferring from Willem II to Randers FC. Willem II and the Danish club reached an agreement on the transfer of the central defender this week. Since Dammers’ contract still ran until the summer of 2025, Willem II will receive a transfer fee.
In early 2022, Dammers was rented for half a year from FC Groningen. Despite Willem II’s relegation from the Eredivisie, the 28-year-old Rotterdam native decided to return in the summer and sign a multi-year contract. This season he was a fixture in defense. In a season and a half, he came to 49 games.
‘Timber agreed with Arsenal on contract to mid-2028’
Jurriën Timber has agreed a contract to mid-2028 with Arsenal, De Telegraaf reports. The defender can earn eight million euros a year in London. The 22-year-old Timber still has a contract with Ajax until mid-2025. There is no agreement yet on the transfer fee, but according to De Telegraaf, both clubs are approaching each other. An initial offer of 35 million euros was reportedly rejected by Ajax.
‘Manchester City turns Gvardiol into most expensive defender ever’
According to English and German media, Josko Gvardiol will soon transfer from RB Leipzig to Manchester City. The Croatian center defender would make the switch for around 100 million euros. This will make Gvardiol the most expensive defender ever.
Currently, that honor belongs to Harry Maguire, who was acquired by Manchester United from Leicester City in 2020 for around 87 million euros.
Gvardiol still has a contract at RB Leipzig until the summer of 2027. There is no set buyout fee in it, which means Manchester City must pay the top price.
The Germans bought Gvardiol two years back from Dinamo Zagreb for about 18 million euros. Since then he developed stormily.
‘Ajax rents Ünüvar to FC Twente’
Ajacied Naçi Ünüvar will play on a rental basis for FC Twente next season, according to VI and De Telegraaf. The Tukkers would not have an option to buy in the rental agreement.
Last year, Ünüvar was loaned by Ajax to Trabzonspor. That did not turn out to be a great success, as the creative midfielder played only a handful of matches.
Pherai new teammate Reis at HSV
Immanuel Pherai will bid farewell to Eintracht Braunschweig and start playing for Hamburger SV. The 22-year-old Dutchman has signed for four years with HSV and will become teammate of Ludovit Reis there.
Pherai was picked up at a young age by Borussia Dortmund, which took him from AZ’s youth academy in 2017. The top German club leased him to PEC Zwolle in the 2020-2021 season.
At Dortmund, the midfielder failed to break through. At Eintracht Braunschweig, like HSV playing in the 2. Bundesliga, Pherai had a strong season. Thanks in part to his 10 goals and 7 assists, Braunschweig barely maintained their position.
Busquets follows Messi to Miami
Sergio Busquets will follow his former teammate Lionel Messi to Inter Miami. The 34-year-old midfielder announced his departure from FC Barcelona in May after 15 years in the Catalan main force.
There was interest in Busquets from Saudi Arabia, among other countries, but the 143-time Spanish international opted for Major League Soccer. At Inter Miami, Busquets will be reunited with Messi, who traded Barça for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
Marcelino new coach Marseille
Marcelino will be coach of Olympique Marseille next season. The Spaniard succeeds Igor Tudor at last season’s No. 3 in the Ligue 1. The Croatian decided to leave Olympique after just one year.
The 57-year-old Marcelino has been coaching for 27 years, but so far only Spanish clubs. He had Gijón, Huelva, Santander, Zaragoza, Sevilla, Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao, among others, under his belt.
Benítez successor Carvalhal at Celta
Rafael Benítez is the new coach of Celta de Vigo. The 63-year-old experienced Spaniard succeeds Carlos Carvalhal. Under the Portuguese, the Galicians barely managed to maintain themselves in La Liga (13th) after a weak second half of the season.
Benítez was sidelined at Everton more than a year back. He previously coached Liverpool, Real Madrid and Chelsea, among others. With Liverpool, he won the Champions League in 2005.
Spierings prefers Lens to PSV
Stijn Spierings continues his career with French side RC Lens. The 27-year-old midfielder is leaving Toulouse for free. He was also in the interest of PSV, but chose Lens, which finished second in the Ligue 1 this year and qualified for the Champions League.
Spierings played in the Netherlands for AZ, Sparta and RKC. After a spell at Bulgarian Levski Sofia, he ended up at Toulouse in 2020. Whereas in the Netherlands he played mainly as an attacking midfielder, in France he developed strongly as a defensive midfielder. Last season he had the most ball conquests in the Ligue 1.
After last year’s promotion, Spierings won the French Cup with Toulouse this year. Club and compatriot Branco van den Boomen also took advantage of his transfer-free status earlier and signed with Ajax.
Sparta acquires player from FC Barcelona
Sparta Rotterdam has strengthened with a player from FC Barcelona. The 22-year-old Sergi Rosanas signs for two seasons at Het Kasteel, with an option for another two seasons. The right back played for the Catalans in Barcelona B, which plays at the third level of Spain. Rosanas also played for Spain Under 19.
Rosanas is Sparta’s fourth reinforcement in the summer transfer window. Saïd Bakari and Pelle Clement came over from RKC Waalwijk and Django Warmerdam from FC Utrecht.
Sunderland strict PSV talent Seelt
Jenson Seelt continues his career with English side Sunderland, playing in the Championship. The 20-year-old defender played 63 games for Jong PSV in the first division and was active in the premier league once last year as a substitute against PEC Zwolle. He transferred from the youth of NEC to PSV in 2017 and still had a contract in Eindhoven until mid-2024.
Nuytinck back ‘home’ at NEC after 11 years abroad
Bram Nuytinck is returning to NEC. The 33-year-old center defender played in NEC’s youth and made 73 appearances for NEC in the premier league from 2009 to 2012. He then played five years for Belgian side Anderlecht and then moved to Udinese in Serie A, The second half of last season he was in action for Sampdoria, with whom he relegated to Serie B,
Nuytinck signed a three-year contract with NEC and is happy to return to the club where he began his professional soccer career, “I am looking forward to playing again for the club where it all started for me. I strongly believe in NEC’s vision and ambitions and am determined to contribute to the club’s success. It feels good to return and to be able to wear the colors of the city again.”
NEC has managed to bring former players back to Nijmegen several times in recent years. For example, Jasper Cillessen and Lasse Schöne are in the selection and NEC previously brought back club hero Édgar Barreto (now retired).
Zwolle brings Vermeer back to the Netherlands
Kenneth Vermeer will be back in the premier league starting next season. The 37-year-old former Ajax and Feyenoord goalkeeper has secured a contract with promoted PEC Zwolle. Vermeer signed a one-year contract with an option for another season.
Bayern confirm arrival of left-back Guerreiro
Bayern Munich has confirmed the arrival of Raphaël Guerreiro. The 29-year-old left back has signed for three years with the national champion.
The Portuguese international was transfer free after refusing to extend his expiring commitment at Borussia Dortmund. Guerreiro has played for Dortmund since 2016. Before that, he played for French clubs Caen and Lorient.
“When the call from FC Bayern came, my decision was quickly made,” Guerreiro said. “It’s an honor for me to play for this big club and I also greatly appreciate coach Thomas Tuchel from our time together at Dortmund. I am a player who always likes to have the ball, play to dominate and create chances. I will do everything to win as many titles as possible. That is the philosophy of FC Bayern.”
Dzeko (37) swaps Inter for Fenerbahçe
Edin Dzeko is not thinking of quitting just yet. The Bosnian striker, who still started in the starting lineup at Internazionale in the Champions League final against Manchester City, has signed a contract with Turkish Fenerbahçe.
The 37-year-old Dzeko could have also re-signed a year with the top Italian club, but that was too little security for him. In Istanbul, he was given a contract for the next two seasons. Dzeko scored 14 goals for Inter last season, counting all competitions and tournaments. The striker previously played soccer for VfL Wolfsburg, Manchester City and AS Roma, among others.
Fenerbahçe finished second behind rival Galatasaray last season and has been waiting for the Turkish title since 2014.Dzeko is the successor at the Turkish top club to Ecuadorian Enner Valencia, who recently reached an agreement with Brazilian club Internacional.
To celebrate, Dzeko already drank a cup of Turkish tea and performed his singing skills, as evidenced by the tweet below.
‘Cerny almost from Wolfsburg’
Vaclav Cerny’s transfer from FC Twente to VfL Wolfsburg is as good as complete, reports including the Wolfsburger Allgemeine. The flank attacker is said to already be currently residing in the German city and will sign a four-year contract if both clubs are in final agreement.
Cerny scored 15 goals and provided 13 assists in 41 games last season.
‘Kluivert will sign with Bournemouth’
Justin Kluivert will undergo a medical at Bournemouth on Friday. If that examination goes well, the Dutch striker will sign a contract until the summer of 2028.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Premier League club will pay a fee of around €11 million to AS Roma, excluding bonuses.
The Italians leased Kluivert to RB Leipzig, OGC Nice and Valencia in recent years.
No transfer stress for Dutch Junior sides Summerville and Zirkzee
The day after the match against Young Belgium, Jong Oranje attackers Crysencio Summerville (Leeds) and Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna) talked about their future. “Sure Dutch clubs can call me, but whether I’m really going to make a move, I don’t know. I played less at Bologna than I wanted beforehand, but that’s part of soccer sometimes.”
Summerville played a strong season with England’s Leeds, but did get relegated from the Premier League with that club. There is said to be interest in him from PSV, Feyenoord and Everton, among others. “I’m focusing on the youngsters. The rest will come later.”
Zerrouki is officially a Feyenoord player, signs until mid-2027
Ramiz Zerrouki can officially call himself a Feyenoor player as of today. The 25-year-old Algerian international comes over from FC Twente and signed a contract until the summer of 2027.
“I am happy and proud that the moment has finally arrived,” Zerrouki said during his first interview as a Feyenoor player.
“Feyenoord is a big club in the Netherlands. I want to develop further here as a person and as a footballer and experience great moments. I can’t wait to get started.”
Brood new trainer TOP Oss
TOP Oss has signed Ruud Brood as trainer for next season. The 60-year-old trainer succeeds Klaas Wels at the Brabant club that plays in the first division.
Brood already has a long career behind him in Dutch professional soccer. He worked as head coach at Helmond Sport, Heracles Almelo, RKC Waalwijk, Roda JC, NEC, NAC and ADO Den Haag. With RKC he took the first division title in 2011.
In addition, as Phillip Cocu’s assistant, Brood won the premier league twice with PSV.
Dzeko moves to Turkey
Edin Dzeko will continue his career in Turkey, provided he passes the medical at Fenerbahçe. The 37-year-old Bosnian striker is transferring free from Internazionale. Dzeko scored 14 goals for Inter last season, counting all competitions and tournaments. The striker previously played soccer for VfL Wolfsburg, Manchester City and AS Roma, among others.
Fenerbahçe finished second behind rival Galatasaray last season and has been waiting for the Turkish title since 2014.
Coach Geraerts suddenly gone from Union
Union Sint-Gillis has suddenly fired coach Karel Geraerts. The Brussels club had recently offered the coach a new contract, but the parties did not reach an agreement. Thereupon, the club decided to end the cooperation altogether, despite an ongoing agreement.
The 41-year-old Geraerts had been with Union as an assistant since 2019. The former Belgium international took over from head coach Felice Mazzu last season. Until the final minutes of the season, Union laid claim to the title, but coach Mark van Bommel’s Antwerp drew the longest straw after a sensational denouement.
‘Gündogan from City to Barcelona’
The Champions League final win was Ilkay Gündogan’s last game for Manchester City. The captain of the English club has reached an agreement with FC Barcelona on a three-year contract, according to various media in England and Spain. We are only waiting for official confirmation from both clubs.
The 32-year-old midfielder is transfer free after his contract in England expired. The German played 304 games for City and scored 60 goals.
Quinten confirms Arsenal interest in Jurriën Timber
Quinten Timber confirms to NOS that the stories about Arsenal’s interest in his twin brother Jurriën are true. “I don’t know if there has been an offer,” said the footballer, who is currently playing the European Under-21 Championship in Georgia and Romania with the Dutch national team.
Will we see the Ajax defender back in the premier league? “I don’t know,” Quinten Timber said. “In any case, he’s not in London right now.”
Milik now all the way from Juventus
Arkadiusz Milik already played on a rental basis for Juventus last six months, now the Polish striker is making a permanent move to the top Italian club.
‘Juve’ will pay 6.3 million euros to Olympique Marseille for the former Ajax player. The 29-year-old Milik scored 7 goals in 27 duels for Juventus.
Pleguezuelo from Twente to England
FC Twente will not have Julio Pleguezuelo at their disposal next season. The defender (26) will move free of charge to English Plymouth Argyle, which has recently been promoted to the Championship.
Twente acquired the Spaniard from Arsenal four years ago. He played 88 league matches, scoring three goals.
Kroos enters tenth season at Real Madrid
Midfielder Toni Kroos has extended his expiring contract at Real Madrid for another year. The German is entering his tenth season at the club and won 20 prizes with Real, including the Champions League four times.
The 33-year-old Kroos played 417 duels for the Royal and accounted for 27 goals and 89 assists.
Conteh leaves Feyenoord
Striker Christian Conteh is leaving Feyenoord after playing only two official matches. The German striker’s one-year contract has been terminated by mutual agreement with immediate effect, reports the national champion. The 23-year-old Conteh is thus free to look for a new club.
Conteh, who transferred from FC St. Pauli to Feyenoord in 2020, failed to become a regular at the Rotterdammers partly due to injuries. He was successively rented out to SV Sandhausen, FC Dordrecht and Dynamo Dresden in recent seasons.
Spierings: still prefer France to PSV
PSV can forget about the arrival of Stijn Spierings. The midfielder is about to sign with RC Lens.
Spierings (27) won the French Cup with Toulouse last season. His contract expired there, so he could look for a new club free of transfer fees. In Lens next season, Spierings is assured of Champions League soccer.
Daughter Sarina Wiegman signs pro contract with ADO Den Haag
Lauren Glotzbach and Anne van Egmond have signed their first professional contract with the women of ADO Den Haag. Both players move on from ADO’s pledge team, the club where they completed their entire youth training.
The 19-year-old Glotzbach does not have her soccer talent from a stranger: she is the daughter of Sarina Wiegman, former international, former national coach of the Dutch women and currently national coach of European champion England. Her father, Martin Glotzbach, is coach of ADO’s Girls Under-17.
Wiegman herself received a visit from none other than Prince William at England’s training camp on Tuesday. She was presented with a royal award, because of her achievements for English women’s soccer. The 53-year-old Wiegman may now call herself a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and put the letters CBE after her name.
De Rooij gone as trainer soccer players PSV
Rick de Rooij is no longer trainer of the soccer players of PSV. The Eindhoven club reports to end the cooperation with the Helmonder “by mutual agreement”. PSV gave no reason.
De Rooij had been coach of PSV’s women’s team since December 2020. Before that, he had several youth teams under his care. “I gave everything for two and a half years to lift the women’s team to a higher level. Together we experienced great highlights with the cup win and qualifying rounds for European soccer,” De Rooij said.
Assistant Ben van Dael has been appointed as interim coach until a decision has been made on the fill-in towards next season, PSV reported.
Oosting takes assistants Uneken and German to FC Twente
Joseph Oosting, FC Twente’s new head coach, will once again be assisted by Peter Uneken and Sander Duits starting next season. The pair also assisted Oosting last season at RKC Waalwijk.
Jeffrey de Visscher, Sander Boschker and Davey de Jonge will remain on Twente’s technical staff as assistant coach, goalkeeper coach and video analyst, respectively.
Chelsea pay 60 million for Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
Chelsea have strengthened with French striker Christopher Nkunku. The 10-time international of ‘Les Bleus’ comes over for reportedly 60 million euros from RB Leipzig, where he was voted best player of the Bundesliga in the 2021-2022 season.
Nkunku scored 23 goals for Leipzig last season and was even more prolific with 35 goals in all competitions a year earlier. The striker has played for Leipzig since 2019, which acquired him from Paris Saint-Germain.
FC Basel removes defender from ADO Den Haag
Swiss top club FC Basel has acquired defender Finn van Breemen from premier league club ADO Den Haag. The 20-year-old central defender has signed until mid-2027 in Switzerland.
Van Breemen made his debut in ADO’s first team more than a year ago. He played, spread over two seasons, nineteen league games and three cup matches for the Hague club.
FC Basel finished fifth in the Swiss league last season.
‘Kluivert on Bournemouth wish list’
Premier League club Bournemouth have Justin Kluivert high on their wish list, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano The 24-year-old striker is under contract with AS Roma, but played on a rental basis for Valencia last season. Previously, the striker was leased by the Italian club to RB Leipzig and OGC Nice. Bournemouth would like to acquire Kluivert permanently. The club finished fifteenth in the Premier League last season.
At Valencia, Kluivert reached 26 games, in which he scored six goals.
Should the transfer materialize, Kluivert will become the first Dutchman to have played in Europe’s five major leagues.
