For someone who has been around for so long and widely considered a very good player, it’s hard to believe Axel Witsel has been at Zenit Saint-Petersburg for four years now.
The Belgian midfielder has been linked countless times, summer after summer, with a move to either England or Italy, but always remaining in Russia.
This summer, however, could be very different, and for various reasons.
Firstly, the player has a good platform in the Euros on which to display his talents with his country.
Secondly, the player’s agent has said he would like a move back to Central Europe to a ‘big club’.
Thirdly and finally, Witsel is about to enter the final years of his contract, and there seems little chance of him extending his stay with the Russian side.
Preferring a move to ‘either Italy or England’, according to his agent, the former Benfica midfielder has many suitors vying for his services, including Tottenham and Everton in the Premier League.
The likes of Roma, Juventus and Napoli are also all keen to bring him to Italy, and Tuttosport on Wednesday say the player is ‘majorly intrigued by an adventure in our league’ (of course they would say that).
Nevertheless, it seems very little will happen before the end of the Euros, when Zenit’s new manager Mircea Lucescu would like to meet with the player himself and discuss future plans, the player’s wishes and possibly a transfer.
Until then, we might as well enjoy the international tournament and hope Belgium play a bit better in the knockout rounds (solely for entertainment purposes).
