Voetbal International reported on Tuesday evening that NEC player Vito van Crooij, a 29-year-old Dutch attacking midfielder, is almost certain to continue his career at Sparta Rotterdam. NEC was willing to allow a winter departure for Van Crooij due to his lack of a guaranteed starting place. Heracles Almelo and Fortuna Sittard were also interested in signing him, but the player was not interested in moving to those clubs. He is, however, interested in the transfer to Sparta. Voetbal International attributes this preference partly to the presence of manager Maurice Steijn. Van Crooij has a good relationship with Steijn from their time at VVV-Venlo and a previous period at Sparta. The basis for the move was established when the two spoke in Venlo this week, where Sparta was on a training camp. Van Crooij, who previously played for the club between 2021 and 2023, is expected to be the successor to Ayoub Oufkir, who left for AZ, with only the final details to be completed. Van Crooij joined NEC in September 2024 and has a contract that runs until June 2027. In the 2025/2026 Eredivisie season, he has made 8 appearances, scoring 1 goal. The Netherlands U21 international has a current market value of €1.00m, according to Transfermarkt.