Japan's soccer humiliation: "I wanted to go to the EPL, but reality left me in the cold"... Japan's top scorer pushed toward Lille in France with a chance to play in UCL

*This content was translated by AI.

Ayase Ueda (28), the top scorer in the Dutch league, is heading to French club LOSC Lille.

The Dutch outlet AD reported on the 31st (Korea time) that "Ueda's transfer to Lille is proceeding smoothly."

The media stated, "While the exact transfer fee remains undecided, he finally received a serious offer from another club after finishing as the league's top scorer with 25 goals last season."

Lille recently sold promising talent Ayoub Bouadi to Manchester City for 95 million euros (approximately 151.1 billion won), bolstering its financial strength. In contrast, its total spending in this summer's transfer market was only 20 million euros (approximately 31.8 billion won).

Lille, which finished third in last season's Ligue 1, will face off against Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and other clubs in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) under new coach Davide Ancelotti. Strengthening the squad is essential for this reason.

Ueda also found the net in the match against ADO Den Haag on the 30th, which ended in a 2-2 draw. After joining in August 2023 for 8 million euros (approximately 12.7 billion won), he emerged as the starting striker from last January, following Santiago Giménez's transfer to AC Milan.

While playing for Feyenoord, he recorded 43 goals and 7 assists in 112 career matches. He performed brilliantly in the league with 40 goals in 82 games, but his performances in the UCL (2 goals in 13 games) and UEL (1 goal in 8 games) were disappointing.

Ueda's original top priority was to join the English Premier League (EPL). After finishing as the league's top scorer last season, he attracted interest from English clubs such as Brighton and Leeds United. However, no concrete acquisition offer ever materialized.

Turkish club Fenerbahçe also made an active approach with a transfer fee exceeding 20 million euros (approximately 0 won), but after the EPL move fell through, Ueda ultimately chose French club Lille as his second option due to its UCL qualification spot.

With Ueda's departure, Feyenoord is expected to begin searching for additional replacements. Currently, Nacho Ferri and Shaqueil van Persie are available as alternatives at the front line. The club had planned to sell Ueda to generate revenue and had already signed Ferri for 9 million euros (approximately 31.8 billion won) as a replacement. Additionally, striker Casper Tengstedt, who joined last season but managed only five goals last year, is leaving the team for a transfer to Toulouse FC.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.