Stije Resink’s dream transfer to Benfica is off the table, reports transfer expert Sacha Tavolieri. The Portuguese superpower is reportedly furious with FC Groningen director Frank van Mosselveld and is said to have immediately pulled the plug on the negotiations.
“The Resink case ended abruptly and in complete chaos,” Tavolieri wrote on behalf of Wednesday morning the Swiss branch of Sky Sport. Resink can write a dream transfer to coach José Mourinho’s Benfica on his stomach.
That’s how it is, according to Tavolieri: Benfica never made a formal offer for Resink. However, his management was informed. Resink was open to discussions with Benfica and behind the scenes FC Groningen appeared to be willing to cooperate with a good transfer fee. However, Van Mosselveld always conveyed to the outside world that Resink is in principle not for sale.
In Groningen, the club management would never have been on the same page about a possible multi-million transfer of the captain. When Van Mosselveld informed Benfica that Resink was not for sale, the bomb exploded: Benfica withdrew immediately. “The Portuguese club believes that it is impossible to enter into negotiations, while the general manager (Van Mosselveld, ed.) says one thing and the board says another,” it said.
“In fact,” Tavolieri continues, “Benfica now accuses FC Groningen of using the Lisbon club’s interest as a media tool to put the player in the spotlight, without actually having the intention to sell him.” Benfica would be upset. Resink, also a target of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord, seems to ‘normally’ finish the season in Groningen.
Keep reading
