The dates for Retso and Verona

On Tuesday evening (18 January) the Italian media revealed Verona’s strong interest in taking over Panos Retsos from Leverkusen. The 23-year-old central defender is the Italian team’s choice for reinforcements in central defense following the serious injury to Pavel Davinovic, who will miss the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament rupture.

Free with 10% resale rate

Negotiations between the two sides are ongoing and according to his information Sportish, Verona have asked for Retso’s sacking (his contract expires next summer) with Leverkusen keeping one 10% resale rate. The deal is heading towards a ‘happy ending’ but final developments will take place over the weekend and more specifically after January 22nd.

If the deal is finalized, Retsos will travel to Verona next week to undergo a medical and then sign with a contract of 3.5 years. It is worth noting that Leverkusen were initially negative about the possibility of a transfer for the Greek international defender, especially since fellow stoppers Edmond Tapsoba and Odilon Kousounou are in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Ready for a new challenge

Nevertheless, the rulers of Verona insisted, and as everything shows, the final agreement is only a step away. Retsos is leaving after 4.5 years BayArena (with two spells at Sheffield United and St Etienne on loan) with a total of 42 appearances with one goal and three assists. This season he played seven games with the German team, including three for the Europa League groups.

The 23-year-old Stopper is expected to experience the Italian championship after the German, English and French championships and has a new challenge ahead of his career. In fact, he is coached in Verona by Igor Tudor, who had been on the PAOK bench in the 2015/16 season. The Italian team sits 10th overall after 22 games and -5 from a European ticket.