BEVERLY HILLS, March 14, (THEWILL) – The first-choice goalkeeper for Nigeria’s senior men’s national football team Maduka Okoye has become a hot property for Dutch professional club based in Rotterdam, Sparta Rotterdam, which is currently 12th in the Eredivisie, their top flight division. The chase to secure his signature is heating up and any such sale could fetch Sparta millions.
Dutch champions Ajax Amsterdam appear to be ahead of the rest in trying to wrest the goal tender from the Sparta squad. But, they are by far the only ones. Okoye is top of the shopping list of several top European clubs after a string of superlative performances in the Dutch League.
Presently, the keeper still has a contract of three and a half years at Sparta, who also have the option to extend it by another two years, should be remain with the side. However, this clause and the remainder of his contract will allow Sparta demand a hefty transfer fee for the 21-year-old.
There is yet no concrete offer for Okoye, but Van Eersel, reporter for RTV Rijnmond, a public broadcast organization for the Rijnmond region of the Netherlands, who closely follows Sparta, said there is a serious interest from a top Dutch club, without revealing exactly which club.
“I know that the first Dutch top club have already indicated interest to take him over,” he said. “With his long contract, Sparta can collect a nice amount for him now.”
Okoye was born in Düsseldorf to a Nigerian father and a German mother. He started his career in 2012 with Bayer Leverkusen, turning up for their Youth team. By 2017, he was on his way out of Bayer Leverkusen to Fortuna Düsseldorf, where he played for their Youth team and the senior team, Fortuna Düsseldorf II. In 2018, he was fully promoted to Fortuna Düsseldorf II, a football team that plays in the Regionalliga West.
Okoye signed for Sparta in July last year.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
