Havenaar linked to Vitesse transfer

Reports claim Eredivisie club Vitesse will buy Ventforet Kofu striker Mike Havenaar in the winter transfer period.

The towering forward was supposed to have flown to Germany in order to discuss a potential move to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.

Earlier this week, however, the German club appeared to have dropped out of the race for the 24-year-old.

According to Japanese newspaper Hochi Sports, his contract with Vitesse is worth 2.1 million euros over three seasons.

The move would see Havenaar return to the birthplace of his father, Dido Havenaar, who was goalkeeper for ADO Den Haag before relocating to Japan with his family.

Vitesse were one of the first foreign clubs to pursue Havenaar after he emerged as a regular member of the Japanese national team.

Following his two-goal performance for Japan against Tajikistan on October 11, the Dutch side had scouts watch Havenaar against Cerezo Osaka as the striker bagged a brace.

Despite stating publicly that he would remain with Ventforet, Havenaar said he wanted to play overseas, following his team’s relegation from the J-League.

He has reportedly received interest from Spanish, Austrian, and English clubs in addition to offers from within Japan.

However, he appears to have set his heart on the Netherlands.

Havenaar would join Japanese defender Michihiro Yasuda at Vitesse.