‘Speaking To Sunderland’s Owners’ – Club Have ‘Directly Involved’ Backer To Thank For Big Fee | OneFootball

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NEC Nijmegen backer Marcel Boekhoorn is to thank for the club managing to earn such a substantial fee from selling goalkeeper Robin Roefs to Sunderland.

It emerged on Wednesday morning that NEC have agreed to sell the 22-year-old goalkeeper to the Premier League new boys.

Sunderland have been on the lookout to add another goalkeeper to the squad and earlier this summer thought they had landed Marcin Bulka from Nice.

Despite a fee being agreed with Nice though, Bulka ultimately snubbed the Black Cats and joined Saudi Pro League side Neom.

Now Roefs is heading to the north east after Sunderland agreed a fee of €10.5m, which could go up to €13.5m through add-ons.

It is a big fee for the goalkeeper and NEC investor Boekhoorn played a significant role in getting it.

According to Dutch daily De Telegraaf, Boekhoorn was ‘directly involved at the highest level, speaking to Sunderland’s owners’.

That helped to push the deal over the line and ensure a big pay day for NEC.

Roefs is expected to undergo a medical with Sunderland and if there are no issues in the tests will then put pen to paper to a five-year contract.

He will be hoping to hit the ground running at Sunderland and impress the club’s boss Regis Le Bris.

Sunderland have not finished their work in the transfer market and are also focused on adding a centre-back to the mix.

They remain keen to do a deal with Italian side Bologna for the signature of Jhon Lucumi and are pushing on that front.

Lucumi though has attracted interest from several clubs this summer, both inside and outside Italy, and landing the centre-back could prove to be a tough ask for the Black Cats.