Antwerp wants to retain Janssen and Van den Bosch for longer: one has to give up, while the other could finally sign a better contract

It says something about their connection with RAFC. Janssen, who came over from Mexico four years ago and has now played 150 games, still feels great in Antwerp. Van den Bosch as a youth product of the club, of course. He was struggling at the beginning of this season. After all, he was also criticized by fans because he had refused a transfer to Lecce and was in danger of walking out the door for free. But in the meantime his level is rising again and that seems to have been forgotten. This week he and Hairemans joined us for a signing session with a smile.

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At Antwerp they also want to put an end to that uncertainty about his future. After negotiations on a new contract in the spring of 2024 came to nothing due to too great a difference in supply and demand, discussions with Van den Bosch and his entourage came to a standstill, which was detrimental to both parties. The club had to enter the market with him and he was left with a limited contract. The mercatos ultimately came to nothing. But now the board has restarted talks with the centre-back and his new management and made them a proposal. He will again be given the opportunity to extend (and earn more) and the question is whether both parties will move towards a deal this time. Van den Bosch is certainly interested in this.

Ditto for Janssen. The attacker’s contract expires at the end of this season, but he knows that Antwerp wants to retain him for longer. He has always been a trailblazer and has now become a figurehead, so that is only logical. Last summer he was allowed to leave with a good offer, but that was only to get money, certainly not because someone was tired of him.

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The difference with Van den Bosch is that Janssen will have to lose salary anyway if he wants to stay in Deurne-Noord. After Alderweireld’s departure, he is again the best-paid player in Antwerp and even the entire league, but since Antwerp is in savings mode and wants to reduce the wage bill, he cannot remain on the same conditions.

But Janssen is not reluctant to an extended stay. Because, as he told us a few months ago: “There has been no place or moment in my life when I have felt more at home than here and now.” But it remains to be seen whether the negotiations will ultimately go in the right direction. In any case, he also has the American MLS in the back of his mind. His wife is from there and they already bought a house together in Texas, where they want to live after his career. Although that does not rule out an extra year in Antwerp.

So at the Bosuil they are working on the future and they especially hope that that future will become clear soon.