VfB Stuttgart is interested in 22-year-old Kodai Sano, and Dutch champions PSV are also interested in the Japanese player. PSV, Ajax, and Nottingham Forest had previously shown interest in Sano during the winter, but NEC did not allow him to leave at that time. NEC now appears willing to facilitate a transfer and aims to sell to the highest bidder; it was reported that in February 2026, NEC rejected a €20 million bid from Nottingham Forest.