February 1, 2017 – According to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe has rejected New York City FC’s offer to join Pirlo and Villa as the team’s third Designated Player.

Odjidja-Ofoe is a 27 year old Belgian central midfielder who’s currently playing for Polish side Legia Warszawa.

Both Patrick Vieira and fellow Belgian national team player Vincent Kompany reached out to Odjidja-Ofoe personally to convince him to join NYCFC. Despite their best efforts he stated that he wants to stay in Europe and continue to play well for the club that gave him a chance after a disappointing spell in a England with Norwich.

Odjija-Ofoe drew praise with his strong individual performances in the Champions League despite Legia Warszawa crushing out of the group stages this year with a -15 goal differential after winning only one game. They are set to take on Ajax in the next round of the Europa League.

His current club were also reluctant to sell the midfielder, who has become a crucial part of their side, so recently after his arrival in the Polish capital last summer. Legia Warszawa is currently third in the Polish league behind Lechia Gdańsk and Jagiellonia Białystok.

Patrick Vieira told reporters last week that Sami Khedira was not one of their DP targets and the team is working to sign a third DP before the start of the season. It would appear Claudio Reyna and his scouts will have to restart their search.

Odjidja-Ofoe is the latest player to have been linked to NYCFC recently. For a full rundown of all the players linked to the club click here.