Van Damme's Wolves move held up
Jelle van Damme's arrival as Wolves' first big summer signing is being held up by haggling over the final fee.
Jelle van Damme's arrival as Wolves' first big summer signing is being held up by haggling over the final fee.
Personal terms have already been agreed with the 26-year-old Anderlecht utility man, who sources claim will sign a four-year contract earning around £16,500 a week.
But the clubs are still trying to get the best deal for the 6ft 4ins tall player, with agreement still to be reached on what is expected to be a fee of £2.5million.
Belgian sources say that of the £2.5million Anderlecht are seeking, between 10 and 15 per cent is due to his former club Southampton, as part of the deal that took him to the Belgian champions in 2006, with five per cent – around £128,000 - also due to the player.
As a result, it is thought Anderlecht want the £2.5million themselves to help fund a replacement, so want a higher price.
Having gone so far, both parties expect an agreement to be reached and Wolves are confident they will get their man for the right price.
Anderlecht also do not want to have to keep an unhappy player who has got his heart set on a return to the Premier League and someone who has been impressed with Wolves.
But the relatively minor problem has caused the deal to become more drawn out than at first expected.
Van Damme visited Molineux for the final game of the season against Sunderland and seemed unconcerned about the hold-up when speaking recently about moving to Molineux.
He said: "I've already visited the club and the city of Wolverhampton and everything was OK. We'll start looking for a house soon.
"The club is ambitious and plans to invest in its squad. Club bosses told me they intend investing to have a better showing next season.
"The fact that they are prepared to pay this much for me is proof of this."
Van Damme, who is married to Elke Clijsters, younger sister of Belgian tennis star Kim Clijsters, joined Southampton from Ajax in 2004.
But the 24-cap Belgium international left on loan after a year and just six games for the Saints, joining Werder Bremen on loan for a season before switching to Anderlecht.
