Bodø/Glimt and Kjetil Knutsen have been chasing the 23-year-old’s signature for a long time. After several pushes, it now looks like the former TIL favorite will become a Glimt player.
Swedish The Express was the first to announce on Friday that Mikkelsen is on his way home to Norwegian football. The evening paper sits on the same information and writes that a transfer will take place shortly.
Nordland newspaper and The online newspaper writes on Friday afternoon that the clubs are in practice in agreement and that only small formalities remain.
Glimt hopes to get Mikkelsen in place in Bodø shortly.
According to the newspapers, the reigning league champion pays around NOK 20 million in a guaranteed transfer fee. Expressen learns that the agreement is worth around NOK 30 million including bonuses.
Short term membership
In an interview with Northern Lights In January this year, the Tromsø væring promised that he would arrange membership in TIL’s supporter club Forza Tromsø.
– I don’t think I have ever been such a supporter of a team in my entire life. Now when I’m in Hammarby and TIL loses, it feels worse than when I played in TIL myself and lost, he said in the same interview.
August Mikkelsen celebrates in front of the TIL supporters after scoring against Bodø/Glimt in autumn 2022. A year and a half later he can sign for the arch-rival.
Photo: Rune Stoltz Bertinussen / NTB
Leader of Forza Tromsø, Morten Killingberg, confirms to NRK that the 23-year-old is a member.
However, it will be short-lived if Mikkelsen becomes a Glimt player.
– As soon as the transfer is confirmed, he will be deregistered and we will refund the money to him, says Killingberg.
– I think everyone understands that we are not interested in having someone who will play for Glimt as a member. I don’t think he’s interested in that either.
Morten Killingberg leads the supporters’ club Forza Tromsø, which will have one less member if August Mikkelsen signs for Bodø/Glimt.
Photo: Gunnar Grindstein / NRK
– How disappointed are you with Mikkelsen compared to the other transfers?
– For my own part, I have come to the point where I don’t want to spend so much energy on it. It’s a shame to say it, but we’ve been through this before. I never cease to be amazed.
– What is special is that he joined the supporters’ club on his own initiative two months ago and made a declaration of love to the club, and he is doing this now.
Tough time in Sweden
Mikkelsen was sold to Hammarby ahead of last year’s season.
However, the one season in the cult club based in the south of Stockholm was not a great success. Tromsøværing scored only one league goal in 21 games.
In the same period, his market value dropped from around NOK 19.7 million to NOK 9.2 million, according to the renowned football website Transfer market.
Nevertheless, Hammarby’s new coach Kim Hellberg actually wants to keep him, but the high sum of money means that the Swedes sell Mikkelsen anyway, according to Expressen.
Reunite with old acquaintances
The 23-year-old is far from the first Glimt signing in recent years with a past in TIL.
In his new club, there are already five employees whom Mikkelsen knows from Tromsø:
- In 2022, Runar Espejord started the ball with his transfer from Dutch Heerenveen. The year before he was on loan at TIL.
- Last summer, Daniel Bassi caused a furore when he chose Glimt ahead of a new contract at the parent club.
- On 2 January, coach Gaute Helstrup and Jostein Gundersen shocked when they announced a transfer to Bodø/Glimt.
- Last in line is scout Jo Nymo Matland, who in the future will find new talent for Glimt rather than Tromsø.
On 16 May, the two northern Norwegian teams meet for a derby at Aspmyra. The tickets went on sale on Thursday. Friday afternoon there are around 400 left.
Gaute Helstrup (left) can become coach for August Mikkelsen again. This time in Bodø/Glimt.
Photo: NTB
Published 22.03.2024, at 14.58 Updated 22.03.2024, at 18.26