NEC Nijmegen make transfer hit: Kento Shiogai sold to Salzburg for millions | OneFootball

Kento Shiogai (20) will leave NEC after just one season, as he switches the Netherlands for Austria and Red Bull Salzburg. The Nijmegen club signed the Japanese player for a small fee in August last year and will now receive a transfer fee of around 4.5 million euros, sources told VI.

Shiogai caught the eye of NEC’s scouts two years ago, when they saw the young striker in action during Japan’s youth internationals. According to the Nijmegen team, several top European clubs were after him, but Shiogai chose NEC partly because of the presence of compatriots Koki Ogawa and Kodai Sano.

NEC picked up Shiogai in August 2024 from Keio University, a university team from Japan. The striker played for six months on loan at Yokohama F. Marinos in the J-League. In his first season in the Netherlands, he scored five goals in 28 official matches. Now Shiogai is waiting for a transfer to Salzburg, who are paying a considerable amount to take him from NEC.

With a transfer fee of 4.5 million, which can increase further due to bonuses and a resale percentage, Shiogai is the second most expensive outgoing transfer in the club history of NEC. The Nijmegen club received around five million euros for Magnus Mattsson, who moved to FC Copenhagen, a year and a half ago.

Shiogai was still contracted to NEC until the summer of 2028. The striker still has to undergo a medical examination at Salzburg. If there are no problems, the Japanese forward will sign a long-term contract with Austria’s number two.

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield