Report: Revolution Nearing Deal For Nigerian Midfielder Alhassan Yusuf
Report: Revolution Nearing Deal For Nigerian Midfielder Alhassan Yusuf
Yusuf is reportedly set to join the Revs following spells with IFK Göteborg and Royal Antwerp.
The New England Revolution appear set to add to the midfield as Sacha Tavolieri reports the club reached an agreement with Belgian Pro League side Royal Antwerp for 24-year-old Nigerian midfielder Alhassan Yusuf.
According to Tavolieri, New England and Antwerp completed a deal of “around $3 million” for Yusuf, who plays a mixture of central and defensive midfield. Tavolieri adds Yusuf will undergo medical tests in Europe before making the trek to the United States. If all goes well, Tavolieri reports the Revolution will ink Yusuf to a three-and-a-half-year deal.
Give Me Sports’ Tom Bogert confirmed Tavolieri’s reports and added the fee for Yusuf was “north of $2 million”.
After starting his soccer journey in Nigeria’s Tiki Taka Academy, Yusuf began his professional career when he joined Swedish first-division side IFK Göteborg in July 2018.
Yusuf appeared in 77 matches across all competitions for Göteborg, where he tallied two goals and nine assists over 6,399 minutes. His work at Göteborg attracted the attention of Royal Antwerp, who acquired him in July 2021.
Since joining Antwerp, Yusuf has 116 appearances for the club, where he tallied four goals and seven assists over 7,223 minutes. His tenure in Belgium saw him rack up silverware as he helped guide Antwerp to the 2022-23 Belgian Pro League title along with the 2022-23 Belgian Cup and 2023 Belgian Super Cup titles.
Yusuf’s success at the club level has led to him getting looks with the Nigerian National Team. Since debuting in 2023, he’s made six appearances for his country. Most notably, he appeared in three matches during Nigeria’s run to the 2023 AFCON Final, where Nigeria fell short against Ivory Coast.
News of Alhassan Yusuf’s addition comes just days before the secondary transfer window closes on August 14. Yusuf's addition adds to a busy window for the Revolution, who added a U-22 player in Luca Langoni while welcoming Will Sands and Tim Parker plus cash in exchange for fan favorites DeJuan Jones and Henry Kessler.