Yakin cleared for return to Basel
The immediate future of one of Switzerland's most talented football stars has finally been resolved after Grasshoppers Zurich agreed to let Hakan Yakin return to his former club Basel.
The 24-year-old Swiss international was dropped from the Grasshoppers team last week after he decided not to renew his contract with the Zurich club. Yakin then tried to sever the contract but Grasshoppers refused to release him until the pre-arranged expiry date at the end of this season.
Basel, who had in the meantime agreed a new four-year deal with the player, offered Grasshoppers SFr 200,000 to tear up the contract, but Grasshoppers demanded half a million francs.
Both clubs have now reached a compromise deal which will allow Yakin to join Christian Gross’s side in time for the start of the championship round in February. The Swiss international striker last played for Basel in 1997, before moving to Zurich.
swissinfo with agencies
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.