Cyriel Dessers, a striker for the Super Eagles, has agreed to a permanent transfer from Belgian club Genk to Cremonese, who have just been promoted to Serie A.
According to reports, Cremonese paid Genk €6.5 (?3 billion) to sign the 27-year-old striker, who spent last season on loan at Feyenoord Rotterdam of the Eredivisie.
On joining the new club, Dessers said “I feel like a child unwrapping his Christmas gift by joining one of the most illustrious leagues in the world.”
“One of my other dreams was to play in a top league and that now seems to work.”
“It is going to be a difficult challenge full of obstacles, but I am ready to defend the colours of Cremonese,” Dessers added.
“I’m looking forward to living a childhood dream in a new environment and doing all I can to help the team in the battles ahead.”
He scored 11 times in 43 appearances for Genk after joining in 2020 from Dutch side Heracles, where his 15 league goals saw him finish as the Eredivisie’s joint-top scorer in the 2019-20 season.
Dessers also hit 29 goals in 40 matches for NAC Breda in the second tier in 2016-17, before he joined top-flight Utrecht and scored 19 times in 56 games.
Dessers’ most impressive campaign came at Feyenoord, scoring 20 goals and adding four assists in 41 appearances.
Following his move, Dessers joins up with compatriot David Okereke. He also becomes Cremonese’s second most expensive signing behind Okereke.