Player who nearly joined Benfica set to be sold for… 4 million | OneFootball

It’s official: Stije Resink has signed for AZ Alkmaar. The Dutch midfielder, who came close to joining Benfica, has left Groningen on a permanent deal, with the club still retaining a percentage of any future sale, in a transfer worth four million euros.

Despite the move, the 23-year-old will continue playing in the Eredivisie, having signed a two-year contract with the Alkmaar side. Resink had been linked with Benfica back in January.

At the time, the Eagles negotiated the midfielder’s signing, but Groningen were demanding a fee far higher than the amount for which they eventually let him go this summer: 10 million euros. Meanwhile, the player’s release clause had dropped to six million euros due to the approaching end of his contract.

The move to Luz ultimately did not go through and, shortly after the winter transfer window closed, Resink suffered a serious injury. The midfielder is still recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and is only expected to return to the pitch at the end of the year. After negotiations with Benfica collapsed, the player did not hide his frustration with the media attention surrounding his future.

“I thought it was sh*t that I was always in the newspapers. The reports kept going back and forth, and even I didn’t know what was going to happen. All week long, I kept getting messages with photos of me wearing a Benfica shirt,” Resink said at the time.

Watch a goal by Stije Resink, Benfica’s former target:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.