Last Sunday, the Croatian striker from Maccabi Tel Aviv decided to leave Israel for Belgium without the agreement of his club. As we revealed, Standard was offered the experienced striker just before he scored a goal once morest Nice in Conference League qualifying on August 14.
After learning of this interest, the former Mouscron striker made a decision he never went back on: he wanted to join Standard for several reasons. First of all family. Dad for a few months, Perica does not live with his wife and child in Israel following the refusal of his companion to reside there. Perica was therefore looking for a way out for a country where he might settle in Belgium without the slightest problem. Liège, where many Croatians have succeeded at Standard, therefore seemed to be the ideal destination for him. Then there are the sporting reasons. Recently, Perica was told that he might leave Maccabi Tel Aviv this summer as the club was going to change its sporting policy and this change would affect him directly. But following its good start to the season (three goals and an assist in five games), the Israeli club went back on its word while Perica had already started looking for a new club and had heard of the interest. of the Standard.
All this led to the player’s hasty departure last Sunday for Belgium. The showdown between Perica and his club, where he reaches the end of his contract in June 2023, was launched. For its part, Standard, very interested as confirmed by Ronny Deila this Thursday at a press conference, was waiting to see how the dispute between the player and his employer was going to be able to end.
As we wrote at the start of the week, Maccabi Tel Aviv were hoping for €2m for their striker, while Standard had only offered €250,000 for their first offer. In recent days, while he is still in Belgium, Stipe Perica has multiplied the exchanges with his club to try to find common ground so that the latter agrees to revise his ambitions downwards. According to our information, it worked since it comes back to us that the situation might be unblocked quickly, even today.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has therefore agreed to lower the selling price of Perica in the face of the player’s request to join Sclessin but also because of the limitation of foreign players (to the number of six) imposed on Israeli clubs. Maccabi will soon recruit former Anderlecht Derrick Luckassen while another foreign striker should land. Suddenly, two foreign players had to leave the club. The first to do so was Curaçao international, Brandley Kuwas and the second should be Stipe Perica.
With Perica, Standard would thus hold the long-awaited scorer. The Croatian will have to compete with Renaud Emond and Noah Ohio while Abdoul Fessal Tapsoba will have to leave on loan (he is still studying the possibility of a departure from the other side of the Meuse in Seraing).