Chelsea given unexpected hope of hijacking 'done deal' - Ornstein

Tom Weber

• Updated: 29 Jan 2024 21:35 GMT
• 3 min read

Brentford's 'done' Antonio Nusa deal has hit an unexpected stumbling block, according to David Ornstein.

The Bees appeared to have beaten serious competition when it was revealed on Sunday that they had managed to strike a deal with Club Brugge for the transfer of Norwegian wonderkid Antonio Nusa.

The teenager, likened to Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, was the subject of a Deadline Day bid from Chelsea in the summer of 2023 and was recently being heavily courted by Tottenham, with some outlets reporting that Spurs had managed to seal his arrival.

However, ultimately, Spurs appeared to have been beaten to the punch by Brentford, with Thomas Frank's side reportedly agreeing a €30 million deal that would have seen Nusa remain with Brugge until the end of the season. The talks between the Bees and the Belgian giants were so advanced that Fabrizio Romano had already delivered his signature 'here we go,' but things have now dramatically changed.

Nusa deal could be hijacked

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Nusa's proposed transfer to Brentford has been "thrown into doubt by complications in the deal." Though all the necessary agreements have been reached, the transaction has not yet been finalised and, in fact, it is thought that a backward step has been taken.

Ornstein posits that other sides could use this as an opportunity to swoop in and hijack Brentford's deal, but they need to act fast as the English transfer deadline is on Thursday. A move could also completely fall through, with the player instead remaining on the books at Brugge until the summer.

Nusa is still under contract until 2027, so Brugge are under no pressure to cash in on the youngster anytime soon. They may even feel that they could get a better deal in the next transfer window.