Former Southampton and Ajax favourite turns down big money for an Eredivisie return with NEC Nijmegen | OneFootball

It had been rumoured, and believed to be just a rumour, but Dusan Tadic looks set for a return to the Eredivisie after all. The former Ajax and Southampton favourite had been allegedly linked to NEC Nijmegen, but nothing appeared to really be happening on that front. However, it now appears that Tadic is really set for a return to the Dutch top flight with NEC. As reported by VI, Tadic has turned down other more lucrative offers to return to the Dutch top flight with an NEC team that punched well above its weight last season. The contract looks set to be two years for the now 37-year-old Serbian.

NEC will be the fourth Eredivisie side that Tadic has played for during his career. After starting out with Serbian side Vojvodina back in 2008, Tadic has gone on to play for Groningen, FC Twente and Ajax. Between playing for Twente and Ajax, Tadic spent a few seasons in the Premier League with Southampton. The attacking midfielder played 162 games for Southampton, scoring 23 goals and providing 32 assists.

In 2018, Tadic left Southampton for even more success with Ajax, scoring an incredible 38 goals in 56 games, with 22 assists, during his first season in Amsterdam. Overall, Tadic scored a ridiculous 105 goals in five seasons at Ajax, playing 241 games. In 2023 he joined Fenerbahce on a free transfer, spending two years in Istanbul before joining Al-Wahda in Saudi Arabia. Since leaving Southampton in 2018, Tadic has hit double figures for assists in his previous eight season, with 20 in 41 games last year.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson