On deadline day, we covered claims from Belgium that Chelsea made an offer to sign Club Brugge’s Antonio Nusa, and he was in negotiations with the Premier League side.
The transfer didn’t materialise but the 18-year-old’s impressive displays for the Jupiler Pro League side helped him earn his first call-up from Norway for the ongoing international break.
This gave TV2 an opportunity to interview the forward, and they specifically asked him about Chelsea’s approach.
On August 30th, Club Brugge came from behind to seal a 2-2 draw against Osasuna, and this was enough for them to qualify for the Europa Conference League group stage. The youngster has revealed he wasn’t aware of the Chelsea approach during the match.
“I didn’t know about it. I saw there was a lot of stuff on my phone. My phone exploded after the game. Then I wondered what happened. Then I realised,” he said.
Both Nusa and the Belgian club had earlier decided against a move but they had to hold fresh talks after receiving a proposal from Chelsea.
“I already knew that it wasn’t going to happen, but then the money came on the table. Then it’s seen in a slightly different way. We had to have another conversation when the money arrived, but we were on the same page, so there was no problem there. I knew what to do anyway, so it was fine,” Nusa explained.
According to TV2, Mauricio Pochettino’s side offered 400m kroner [€34.8m] to secure his services.
When specifically asked about the fee offered by Chelsea, the player said: “That’s a lot of money. A lot of money. But I try not to think about it so much. I can’t focus on that, you know. I don’t think it’s good for me.
“We are talking about very big clubs and that’s where you dream of being in the future. I try not to think about money at all. There’s a lot of money in football, so that’s not what’s on my mind. It’s where I can develop best and become as good as possible.”
Nusa also said Manchester City star Erling Haaland is his inspiration and he hopes to emulate him, which will mean selecting the right club for the future.
