European move beckons for Sail

Published date18 June 2022
AuthorMichael Burgess
Publication titleWeekend Herald
Sail told the Herald in April, towards the end of an outstanding A-League campaign with the Wellington Phoenix, that he felt ready for the Northern Hemisphere

“I feel like I’d do well making the step up and I have every intention of pursuing a career in Europe,” he said at the time. “I have every intention of testing myself against the best.”

That dream could be about to become reality. The Weekend Herald understands scouts from two clubs attended the All Whites’ match against Peru in Barcelona last week.

Although a Sail error gifted the South Americans their goal in a 1-0 defeat, his performance was otherwise solid and did little to deter his would-be suitors, who have been tracking him for some time.

If the transfer happens, it’s likely to put Sail into another stratosphere. It’s believed one of the clubs is from Europe’s top five leagues(English Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A and Bundesliga).

The other sits outside that tier but is a large club with plenty of history, according to one source.

Sail is contracted to the Phoenix until the end of next season. If he leaves now, or in the January window, the Phoenix could pocket a significant transfer fee, as they did with the departures of Sarpreet Singh and Liberato Cacace. Otherwise he could leave at the end of this season on a free transfer, though it is unlikely the club would block any move...

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