Kodai Sano’s Commitment to NEC Amid Ajax Interest

It is now clear: Kodai Sano will not be leaving NEC this winter.

Ajax made a fervent attempt to sign the Japanese midfielder, but the Nijmegen club is standing firm. General Director Wilco van Schaik addressed the situation on Monday, emphasizing NEC’s position.

NEC has made it clear to everyone that Kodai Sano is not leaving. Reports indicate that Ajax made a second bid for Sano, viewing him as a crucial addition to their midfield. In the podcast ‘De Bestuurskamer,’ Van Schaik discussed the overtures from the capital. “There is a lot of unrest among supporters and sponsors who feared that Sano would depart. However, internally, we remain calm: Carlos Aalbers (Technical Director) and I have maintained continuous communication with the supervisory board and Marcel Boekhoorn (financial backer). Our stance is unequivocal: he is not going anywhere.”

NEC expresses frustration over Ajax’s approach. In a statement to De Gelderlander, Van Schaik previously expressed his dissatisfaction with Ajax’s advances. “He is staying here. And he is certainly not going to Ajax,” the director said in an interview with Omroep Gelderland. Ajax’s Director of Football, Marijn Beuker, was present during a meeting between Sano and his agents on Saturday evening. “If that occurred, it is even illegal,” he remarked. However, it was clarified that this meeting had not been pre-arranged; Beuker was merely dining in the same restaurant.