It appears a matter of time before the highest-scoring Nigerian striker in Europe becomes a full-fledged Rotterdammer
Dutch entrepreneur Dennis de Roo has revealed his willingness to provide the funds for Feyenoord to secure the permanent signing of Nigeria international Cyriel Dessers.
Dessers has been the subject of a transfer tussle between KRC Genk, Feyenoord, and the Feyenoord fans over where the 27-year-old will play his football next season.
The one-cap Super Eagles star has a long-term contract still pending with Genk, but he has spent the current campaign on loan at Feyenoord, with the Dutch giants having the option to make the deal permanent for €4 million.
Due to their financial limitations, Feyenoord had no intention of taking up that option until recently. And despite Dessers’ brilliant goalscoring run, the Rotterdammers are dragging their feet about coughing out the €4 million transfer fee before the June deadline.
Feyenoord supporters, however, adore Dessers following his remarkable ten-goal haul in the Europa Conference League.
And many of them have made it clear they will not watch the club’s highest-ever goalscorer in European competitions leave De Kuip unceremoniously.
Some have crowd-funded over €25,000 to support Feyenoord in funding the deal for Dessers, but head coach Arne Slot said it would be illegal for the club to receive such funds.
Slot, however, threw up a challenge for wealthy Feyenoord fans to partner with the club to finance the move for Dessers.
Businessman and multimillionaire investor Dennis de Roo has accepted that challenge while calling on Feyenoord to reveal the modality of the partnership.
“We are awaiting whether Feyenoord is at all open to financing through an external party like us,” De Roo told RTV Rijnmond, as per Voetbal4u.
“We would do that directly with Feyenoord to support the crowdfunding campaign.
“This would give some room on the rest of the budget, also for other players.
“What should be paid. That could also be the full amount.”
Dessers’ ten Conference League goals are the most significant reason behind Feyenoord reaching their first European semifinal in two decades.