Motherwell striker Van Veen signs for Groningen

Kevin Van Veen has completed his move from Motherwell to Dutch second-tier side Groningen.

The striker has moved to the recently-relegated club for an undisclosed fee believed to be about £500,000 after hitting 29 goals for the Steelmen last season.

The 32-year-old scored 40 goals in 83 appearances over two seasons after arriving from Scunthorpe.

He broke a club record by scoring in his last 11 games for the club, the best consecutive scoring run in Scotland’s top flight for more than half a century.

Van Veen told the cinch Premiership club’s website: “Leaving Motherwell has been a really difficult decision. From the day I arrived, I felt loved and I felt at home.

“It has been emotional and a privilege to feel the support from all the fans since day one. From having my own song, to the banners, this has been a special time of my life and I’ll never forget it.

“Breaking the records is one of my biggest accomplishments to date but more importantly, I hope in doing so, repaid the fans for their support.

“I’ll be following Motherwell from now on, every week and I’ll look back fondly on my time here. Thanks for the memories and I’ll miss you all.”

A club statement read: “Following an initial approach we received some weeks ago and after a number of discussions with the player and his representatives, at a board meeting last week, the club reluctantly agreed to sell Kevin Van Veen to Dutch side Groningen.

“Our strong preference was to retain Van Veen but it became clear that the club was not in a financial position to make a new contract proposal to Kevin that was competitive with what he was being offered by Groningen or to turn down the significant fee we were able to negotiate for a player with only a year remaining on his current contract.

“The club has always been clear that revenue from player trading is required to ensure we are financially stable over the medium and long term.”

Manager Stuart Kettlewell added: “Of course, we are disappointed to be losing a player of Kevin’s quality.

“His effort in my time here has been exceptional and I appreciate his hard work.

“I have a great relationship with Kevin and know how much he loved his time here. I sincerely hope he has a successful time with Groningen and wish him all the best.

“Now, we face a difficult task to replace Kevin but we are working very hard behind the scenes to take this club forward.”

Academy players Max Johnston and Dean Cornelius also look likely to depart, while Dan Casey is yet to sign a contract extension.

Kettlewell signed Jon Obika on Monday – his first signing of the summer – after the striker netted once in 10 matches on loan from Morecambe in the second half of last season.