De Telegraaf is certain: “PSV will go full throttle for Kodai Sano”

PSV has meanwhile already lined up Sven Mijnans for the necessary millions, but that doesn’t seem to mean that the arrows are no longer being directed at Kodai Sano and NEC. At De Telegraaf, they are even certain that PSV will go all in for Sano.

The midfielder of NEC, who statistically did not even have a particularly remarkable season last season because of his meager goals-and-assists output, seemed to be heading toward a contract with Hoffenheim, but that transfer no longer appears to be going through.

And so Sano 'very perhaps' is nevertheless coming back into the picture for PSV, reports the Eindhoven Dagblad as well. A transfer of the 22-year-old midfielder from NEC to TSG Hoffenheim appears, in its entirety, not to be going through, which means PSV may yet take action toward NEC. At De Telegraaf, however, they are more certain.

'PSV is going full throttle for Sano. They’ve been doing that for a long time, but at first the kid turned down PSV because he preferred to go abroad. Now, Sano can be back on PSV’s radar', says Mike Verweij on the Kick-Off podcast of De Telegraaf.

The million-euro transfer of Anderlecht talent Nathan De Cat to Hoffenheim is behind the cancellation of the transfer of Sano to Hoffenheim. NEC coach Dick Schreuder already said last week that he is taking into account that that deal will fall through and Eindhovens Dagblad now also reports that Hoffenheim is not going to sign De Cat and Sano. And so it seems PSV is back in the picture.

PSV has been interested in Sano for longer, as the player wants to make a step in his career this summer. The Japanese has his sights set on a transfer to a top league, but it now seems unlikely that a move within the country can also be ruled out. NEC wants to receive around eighteen million euros and it remains to be seen whether PSV can and will pay that.

Sano has been playing for NEC since mid-2023, which only paid 450,000 euros to Fagiano Okayama in Japan to release him. The Japanese player, who was not part of Japan's World Cup squad, has already played 98 matches for NEC. Sano is still under contract at De Goffert until mid-2028.