PSV Eindhoven director Marcel Brands has revealed that he assured Noni Madueke's father he would not sell the winger in the January transfer window. Chelsea signed 20-year-old from the Dutch outfit last month in a deal which is thought to cost around £35million.
Madueke, who left Tottenham in 2018 to sign for PSV, penned a seven-and-a-half-year deal at Stamford Bridge and became the Blues' sixth signing of the window. Despite an injury-ridden campaign, his impressive displays in the Eredivisie had courted the attention of Europe's biggest clubs.
But, Chelsea won the race, despite PSV's reluctance to cash in having already offloaded Cody Gakpo to Liverpool. football.london understands that new technical director Christopher Vivell was a driving force behind signing Madueke after first targeting the Englishman while at RB Leipzig.
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Speaking to Dutch outlet Voetbalzone, as quoted by MSN, Brands admitted that PSV did not intend on selling Madueke in January but, as Chelsea's bids continued to climb, they conceded the winger's signature. The Dutch side's director of football said: "We knew his personal situation, that he really wanted to go back to England.
"I literally said to his father: 'Not this winter, because his value is not such that we want to do a transfer with him.' But at some point there will be bids.
"First 25, then 28, 32, 35, and then it will be close to forty million. Then we wondered internally whether we should hold back any longer."
Brands continued as he detailed the advantages and disadvantages of selling both Madueke and Gakpo — PSV's two star players — in the space of a few days. He added: "You are happy to have taken the financial pressure off for a while, but as a football man it hurts to lose two of your best players.
"That mix is always there. You are proud that Cody is going to a club like Liverpool. But it also hurts your heart a bit. That financial necessity was there, we knew that.
"We were able to anticipate that well. Hopefully the new guys [Thorgan Hazard, Patrick van Aanholt and Fabio Silva] give an impulse so that the sporting damage is limited."
Madueke made his debut for Chelsea in a goalless draw with Fulham at Stamford Bridge. He replaced Mykhailo Mudryk at half-time and impressed, showcasing his great potential.
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