Go Ahead Eagles rules out Thibaud Verlinden’s transfer to Maccabi Tel Aviv

Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles has officially announced that 24-year-old Belgian forward Thibaud Verlinden will not be leaving the team during the current summer transfer window. This decision follows unsuccessful negotiations with Maccabi Tel Aviv, which had sought to sign the player. Reports indicate that an initial offer from Maccabi Tel Aviv was rejected by the Dutch club, and subsequent attempts to structure a loan deal with a purchase option—potentially becoming mandatory—also failed to reach an agreement. Jan Willem van Dop, CEO of Go Ahead Eagles, confirmed to ESPN that discussions with the Israeli club had taken place but emphasized that the matter is now closed. He stated that the club has reached a consensus and that the door for a transfer is firmly shut. Verlinden, who is under contract with Go Ahead Eagles until the summer of 2029, previously worked with Maccabi Tel Aviv's current sporting director, Stijn Vreven, during their time together at Beerschot. Under Vreven's management in the 2022/23 season, Verlinden recorded the best performance of his career with 14 goals across all competitions. Last season, he scored one goal and provided three assists in 20 league appearances, and he has already featured in the first two rounds of the current season.