Swedish fan site Press Gurkan has suggested Mikkel Ladefoged has already had a medical with Lincoln City ahead of his move, scheduled for August 30th.
While the buying club has not been confirmed by either side, my understanding is that Lincoln City are 100% the buyers, and that a deal is poised to go ahead on August 30th. Plenty is being said across the North Sea, and the latest batch of quotes again suggest we have acted in the right way.
The fee is expected to be around £4m, but that will be with add-ons, and any starting point is likely to be much less. Those details have been thrashed out in conversations between the two parties, but also played out in the media.
“We have had countless conversations and meetings'” said VSK sports director Billy Magnusson told Press Gurkan.
“You could say it started about three weeks ago. Then we had physical meetings with the interested club, who behaved very correctly. They came to Västerås and wanted to discuss a transfer.”
The details suggest that negotiations have taken place, although it does feel like it is being painted as a little more cut and dried than it has been.
“Yes, in the end they matched the price we wanted from the beginning. Our approach was that we had no ambition to sell.”
Originally, the Swedish side did not want to part with their biggest asset. Magnusson hints at a fear of relegation, despite his side being sixth in the table, 12 points clear of the drop zone. However, selling it as Lincoln City matching a price does seem to miss out on a lot of the narrative.
“We explained that we are newcomers to Allsvenskan with many new players in many new roles. We are at a sporting level where VSK has historically had difficulty coping.”
“We felt confident in setting a financial market demand. The club matched that demand on Monday, an hour or so before we stepped out against Djurgården. At that time, the club had shown its will.”
“There are many games left for us, but we made a decision earlier than we had expected. We did not change the rules of the game, the agreement will be valid from August 30.”
Again, this does little to get around a few salient facts. There was clearly a bid which is more or less the same as the one being accepted now. The player is reported to have gone on strike, but at present, that is just one side of the story, with the Imps and Ladefoged unable to speak for themselves.
There is also no rational reason why the transfer is to go ahead on August 30th. I understand there are no injury issues at all; the player is fit, but will not play for VSK. It isn’t to do with international clearance either; it does seem from the outside as if it is a final stand by the club to have something of the last laugh over the player, but not over us, with whom they have no issue.
They even suggest a medical has been done, which would be bizarre if they then expect him to be around their club for two more weeks – a bit like getting a hire car and then being responsible for any damage it receives in the weeks before you pick it up. It doesn’t sound as if he’d be all that welcome among his teammates if he is there.
“We informed the group on Saturday, we believe that transparency is the way forward. Of course, there were many thoughts among the players, but on Monday we saw how the team responded when they defeated Djurgården.”
“Yesterday (Thursday) the squad found out everything. They had fewer questions for us, but certainly many thoughts and feelings.”
“He has visited the new club and had a medical examination,” added Magnusson “But his contract is valid from August 30.”
That also suggests that the clubs have not only agreed a deal, but also contracts have been signed. Again, I understand this to be the case, but of course, they’ll be reliant on such things as a passed medical.
For now, we wait. Lincoln City, as far as I can make out, will sign Mikkel Ladefoged on August 30th, although that will then be subject to international clearance. He will arrive fit: the knee issue reported in his final game for VSK was nothing more than playing on an artificial pitch, and looking to remain fit, be it for VSK or a possible move.
We will be getting our Danish giant on August 30th, and when we do, we’re likely to get another side of the story we’ve been following, if we don’t before.
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