Dusan Tadic set to join NEC Nijmegen ahead of Champions League qualifier against Olympiakos

The deal

NEC Nijmegen is closing in on the signing of Dusan Tadic, the 37-year-old former Ajax, Southampton and Fenerbahçe forward. Multiple Dutch outlets report that talks are in the final phase, with only a few details left to resolve. The club expects to present the 111-cap Serbia international in the coming days, pending a medical. Tadic is a free agent after declining to extend his contract with UAE side Al-Wahda.

Last days of recharging the batteries...New chapter starts soon!

NEC's majority shareholder Marcel Boekhoorn held a lengthy conversation with Tadic that proved decisive. The forward had initially been leaning toward another Middle Eastern move, and German second-tier club Schalke 04 was also in the running. The prospect of playing Champions League football with NEC, which enters the third qualifying round against Olympiakos, weighed heavily in his decision.

The Champions League context

NEC finished a surprising third in the Eredivisie last season under coach Dick Schreuder, earning a spot in the Champions League qualifiers. The first leg away to Greek runners-up Olympiakos is set for 4 August in Piraeus, with the return leg in Nijmegen a week later. The winner advances to the play-off round for a place in the group stage. Between those two ties, NEC opens its domestic campaign at home against Telstar.

Tadic's career

Tadic began his professional career at FK Vojvodina in Serbia before moving to the Netherlands, where he played for FC Groningen and FC Twente. A four-year spell at Southampton in the Premier League followed, then a standout period at Ajax. In 241 appearances for the Amsterdam club he scored 105 goals and provided 112 assists, winning three Eredivisie titles and captaining the side to the 2019 Champions League semi-finals. After leaving Ajax he spent time at Fenerbahçe and most recently Al-Wahda. Across more than 800 career matches he has recorded 235 goals and 286 assists, plus 23 goals in 111 international appearances for Serbia, including at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The Vojvodina appearance

Last Thursday Tadic attended the Conference League second qualifying round match between his two former clubs, FK Vojvodina and Ajax, in Novi Sad. After the match, travelling Ajax supporters spotted him on the athletics track around the pitch and serenaded their former captain for several minutes. He did not engage with questions about NEC's interest at the time.

NEC's ambition

Since 2021, NEC has made a habit of bringing established names to Nijmegen. The list includes Edgar Barreto, Lasse Schöne, Oussama Tannane, Jasper Cillessen, Tjaronn Chery and Bryan Linssen. Tadic would be the highest-profile addition yet, a player the club hopes can mentor younger squad members with the professionalism that made him a dressing-room leader at Ajax.