Antwerp newly signed midfielder Alhassan Yusuf has revealed how a proposed transfer to another Belgian club Anderlecht collapsed.
The midfielder has signed for Antwerp and could even make his debut Sunday.
But he has now said he was also very close to joining Anderlecht, the big rivals of his new club.
Last year, Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers made a bid for Yusuf when he was posting superlative displays at Swedish club IFK Goteborg.
Wolves had planned to loan him to Anderlecht, but the player was not granted a work permit and that crashed the deal.
“My agent spoke with Anderlecht, but although the deal was close, it still fell through. It had to do with my work permit,” Yusuf told Het Laastse Nieuws.
However, he said he still hopes to play in the Premier League.
“I wouldn’t be able to play in the Premier League anytime soon and that was obviously a problem,” said the player who has yet to play for Nigeria at any international level.
“Too bad because I dream of the Premier League. But hey, sometimes it’s better to take everything step by step, instead of taking a big step and then failing.
“I’m here (in Belgium) now and I’m happy about that.”
