On Saturday, Anderlecht confirmed that they have signed Leander Dendoncker from Aston Villa on a loan deal with an option to buy.
Het Belang van Limburg provides an insight into how the deal materialised and the fee needed to make his stay permanent. The Aston Villa owned player was of interest to Everton, Las Palmas and an unnamed German club.
Everton didn’t end up signing the 28-year-old and decided to bet on a younger player. The German club, on the other hand, couldn’t make progress, and Las Palmas and Anderlecht as the only two serious candidates.
The Belgian club had an advantage because the Aston Villa man previously had a spell with them.
It’s claimed Anderlecht chairman Wouter Vandenhaute called David Steegen to sign the midfielder. Steegen, who is the Belgium club’s former press secretary, is Dendoncker’s father-in-law.
Steegen got in touch with his daughter Anna, who informed him that they were aware of the Jupiler Pro League side’s interest. As an Anderlecht, HBVL say Steegen was in favour of this move, also because his grandson Matteo can live in Brussels.
Despite all this, it ‘wasn’t that easy’ for Anderlecht to conclude the deal. Dendoncker took a pay cut and Aston Villa agreed for an affordable loan deal. They also included a buying option set at €7m and the fee can be paid in instalments.
