Udinese of Italy are set to welcome William Troost-Ekong in a shock summer transfer from Bursaspor of Turkey, following an agreement they reached with the Super Eagles defender.
Troost-Ekong is bound to become the next Nigerian to seal a deal in Italy this summer, and would end up playing this season with the Udine-based club that once had on their cards the duo of Isaac Success and Odion Jude Ighalo.
The Holland-born defender, who turns 25 next month, agreed transfer terms with Udinese on Wednesday.
This comes after Troost-Ekong, who previously played for Tottenham Hotspur of England, Groningen and Dordrecht of Holland, as well as Haugesund of Norway and KAA Gent of Belgium, moved to Bursaspor for €1m only a year ago.
Troost-Ekong played for Holland at youth levels, but eventually switched to Nigeria for senior activities, and has been capped 24 times with Super Eagles, for who he starred in all their three matches at this year’s World Cup in Russia.
In his days at Bursaspor, Troost-Ekong made 33 appearances and scored two goals for the Turkish Super Lig club, who showed no reluctance to let him go when Udinese made a bid of €3.3m for the mulatto defender.
Bursaspor announced his departure with a farewell message on the club’s official Twitter handle, stating: “Thank you @WTroostEkong.”
Troost-Ekong then took to social media afterwards to appreciate the fans, promising them his continued support and loyalty.
The ‘Oyibo Wall’ defender, who scored for Bursaspor last weekend, stated: “I will always have great memories of my time in Turkey as a player but also as a man.
“However, the time has come for a new step in my career. I want to wish Bursaspor a great season and I will now follow the team as a fan.
“I want to say a big thank you to everyone in Bursa and Bursaspor, especially my teammates and staff for everything.
“Lastly, I want to say a special thank you to Texas and all the fans who supported me and the team. I will remain one of you now. Texasli Ekong.”
