Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg would be a ‘fantastic’ signing for Heerenveen this summer, the Eredivisie outfit’s technical director Gerry Hamstra has admitted to Omrop Fryslan.
At the age 37, a man who represented Holland in the World Cup final appears to have no interest in wasting another 12 months stuck on the sidelines.
Stekelenburg is due to become a free agent at the end of this month.
And speaking to Voetbal International earlier this month, the former Roma, Fulham and Ajax stopper admitted that he would jump at the chance to spend the autumn days of a storied career in familiar surroundings.
“Now, the time has come to return to the Netherlands,” said the first signing of the Farhad Moshiri era.
Whether Heerenveen make Stekelenburg’s dream come true, however, remains to be seen.
Hamstra has indicated that, despite his advancing years, the Friesian giants would snap up the 58-time international in an instant – though his wage demands could represent a sizeable stumbling block.
“Our budget is under pressure, so we mainly have to look for free-agents. We want to get two goalkeepers, a center back on the left, an attacking midfielder and a striker,” Hamstra explains, translated by Telle Report.
“(Stekelenburg) would of course be fantastic, but you also have to go to the realistic when looking at the budget. In principle he is out of our league.”
Interestingly, Stekelenburg’s potential move to Heerenveen could hand Swansea City a welcome transfer boost of their own.
Steve Cooper’s Swans want to sign 6ft 6ins goalkeeper Warner Hahn with he too set to become a free-agent next month (AD).
And Stekelenburg could replace him at Heerenveen.
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