NEC's technical director, Carlos Aalbers, stated that Noé Lebreton was not permitted to leave, and the club refused to cooperate with a transfer for the player, who was linked to Lille and other clubs in France. According to De Gelderlander, Lebreton was initially quite disappointed by NEC's refusal to cooperate. It is claimed that at the other clubs, the player could have potentially earned six times as much salary as at NEC.

French clubs LOSC Lille and RC Strasbourg have serious interest in NEC's 22-year-old French and Senegalese attacking midfielder, Noé Lebreton. Lebreton joined NEC a year ago from Caen and has since become a key player for the team. The transfer fee NEC is seeking for the player is not currently known. Lille has previously negotiated with NEC and has signed players from the Dutch club before. Lebreton's contract with the Dutch club runs until June 2029. His current market value is €4.00m, according to Transfermarkt. Lebreton has also been capped once for the France U21 team, scoring one goal.