Wesley Hoedt will be returning to Southampton.
After a few articles here and there claiming Antwerp were going to find it hard to keep the Dutch centre-back with them beyond the current season, the player himself has cleared the situation once and for all when talking to Het Nieuwsblad.
Sent on loan to the Belgian side for the season after not falling in Ralph Hasenhüttl’s plans, the 26-year-old quickly became one of the best defenders in the Jupiler Pro League, and there was hope he could stay there.
Unfortunately, the pre-agreed fee in the loan of €8m is simply too expensive, as Hoedt told the Belgian newspaper on Monday.
He said: “You have written often enough that the purchase option is €8m and, at the moment, it’s unrealistic that a Belgian club pays that. Even without the Coronavirus, I think it was too much. Antwerp can lift the option until May 31st, but I know enough by now. The club only has to make a statement, but for me it means that my time at Antwerp is over.”
With the Jupiler Pro League already called, there is no more football for Hoedt to play in Antwerp, meaning he’s just waiting for the right moment to head back to Southampton.
Het Nieuwsblad explain that ‘within the club, it sounds that nothing has been decided yet’, but if the player is already saying his goodbyes, we all know what is likely to happen next.
Asked if he is looking forward to a new club in a top league, he said: “That’s the intention, yes. I already have a number of offers from clubs in those competitions, but I have to wait and sit down with Southampton. What is clear is that I’m not waiting for a year on loan. I want to be fully transferred this time.”
