Jasper Cillessen is leaving Valencia to join boyhood club NEC Nijmegen, but the move won’t be announced in time for him to play in the opening match of the season.
Since leaving NEC in 2011 after a decade in the academy, Cillessen has enjoyed a successful career at the top of football, playing for Ajax and Barcelona and making 63 appearances for the Netherlands.
Since joining Valencia in 2019 though, things have been difficult for the goalkeeper, with injuries and form preventing him from becoming the club’s undisputed first-choice between the sticks.
As a result, it was widely expected that he’d leave this summer, but most imagined he’d return to Ajax, not NEC as now looks certain to be the case.
Indeed, the 33-year-old has already started training with the club, and was set to be officially unveiled in time for him to play in the opening weekend of the Eredivisie season.
However, that now won’t be possible as, as per Algemeen Dagblad, the Dutch club and Valencia still need to finalise some details of the transfer and his contract.
Nevertheless, his new team aren’t worried and it seems likely he’ll be their player officially by the time the second round of matches comes around.
GBeNeFN
