After a long summer of speculation, De Vrij has finally sealed a move away from Feyenoord. The Dutch defender has agreed to sign for Lazio on a 5-year deal.
The fee for De Vrij is said to be around €8.5 million, after Lazio had a bid of €7 million rejected previously. The deal is expected to be confirmed in the next 48 hours.
De Vrij was a vital part of Louis Van Gaal's defense in Brazil this summer, his performances all but sealing the fact he would leave Feyenoord for a bigger European club during the window. The defender has been at the Dutch club since he was a young boy, rising up through their youth teams to make 135 appearances in the first XI by the age of 22.
In the midst of negotiations with Lazio, Feyenoord have also had to deal with interest from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona. After a hectic summer, they have finally been forced to let De Vrij move on.
The departure of De Vrij is another huge blow for the club. Their other star defender Bruno Martins Indi also left for greener pastures when he joined FC Porto a fortnight ago. The rebuilding phase for the Dutch team will now be forced to commence once again, having collected almost €20 million in transfer fees from their two high profile departures.