Feyenoord has finalized the signing of Belgian defensive midfielder Charles Vanhoutte from French club OGC Nice, the Rotterdam side announced on Friday, June 19, 2026.
The 27-year-old becomes the club's first reinforcement for the upcoming Eredivisie season.
Vanhoutte successfully passed his medical examinations and signed his contract in Rotterdam after Feyenoord agreed on a transfer fee with Nice earlier this week.
The Eredivisie club will pay a fixed fee of €5.5 million, with an additional €500,000 possible through performance-related bonuses.
The midfielder returns to the Benelux region after a single season in France. Nice had initially purchased him for €6 million from Union Saint-Gilloise.
Vanhoutte is a product of the Cercle Brugge youth academy and previously played for Union Saint-Gilloise.
Technical Director Praises New Signing
Feyenoord Technical Director Dévy Rigaux confirmed the club's active pursuit of Vanhoutte during a press presentation on Thursday.
"Charles is someone who was at the top of Feyenoord's scouting list.
He is someone with a lot of qualities, someone who fits this club with his personality," Rigaux stated.
Rigaux emphasized the consensus within the scouting department regarding the player's potential impact. "We are working on the arrival of Charles.
He was at the top of the list," he noted.
The technical director described Vanhoutte as a stabilizing presence on the pitch. "Charles has many qualities and is someone who fits this club well in terms of personality.
He is a balance keeper. He also has a lot of game insight and is comfortable on the ball," Rigaux explained.
Rigaux expressed optimism about finalizing the transfer. "If he actually signs, we will be very happy that he is Feyenoord's first acquisition," he concluded.
Media Skepticism Emerges
The transfer has drawn scrutiny from Dutch media figures.
Journalists Mike Verweij and Valentijn Driessen expressed skepticism on De Telegraaf's Kick-off podcast regarding the timing and Vanhoutte's international pedigree.
Verweij questioned the narrative surrounding the recruitment process.
"What I found striking is that he confidently said that evaluation around Robin van Persie took place, while there are very clear signals that people had been approached earlier," he said.
Driessen raised concerns about Vanhoutte's limited involvement with the Belgian national team, having played only four minutes in a single international match against Kazakhstan.
"He is simply missing from the World Cup selection. A 27-year-old midfielder, missing from the national team.
Nice also did poorly last year and he has to carry Feyenoord in the Eredivisie. I am very curious," Driessen commented.
Feyenoord pursued the early signing to solidify its midfield depth amid ongoing uncertainty regarding the futures of current midfielders In-beom Hwang and Jakub Moder.
