CSGO star Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač is close to a transfer out of FaZe Clan to G2 Esports, which would pair him with cousin and fellow rifler, Nemanja ‘huNter-’ Kovač.
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Back in late September, it was reported that the two organizations opened up discussion around the transfer of the 23-year old Bosnian international. The deal was expected to be finalized weeks after the initial report, though now it could be closer to happening.
There would be a lot of pressure for both teams to close the books on a deal soon, seeing as the BLAST Premier Fall Series is around the corner.
The news follows FaZe Clan’s latest event championship at the European Intel Extreme Masters XV New York on October 11; G2 Esports finished that event in 7th-8th place.
According to HLTV, the deal could include “one of the biggest transfer fees in the game,” which could outdo the $500,000 fee FaZe paid mousesports for NiKo in 2017.
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G2 would have to make space in their starting roster for NiKo, which could see French player François ‘AmaNEk’ Delaunay either benched or traded to another team, according to the report. Similarly, FaZe are said to already be on the hunt for someone to replace the star before the $150,000 BLAST Premier begins.
G2 Esports are in the Group C bracket of that event and will face off against FURIA on November 2, while the Group B matchup between FaZe and BIG kicks off on October 29 – so the two sides will be hard-pressed to finalize any proposed deal as soon as possible.
As successful as NiKo has been on an individual level, his run with FaZe has yet to result in a Major title. While the next Major in Rio has been indefinitely postponed due to the ongoing crisis, the superstar could be playing under a new banner by the time it rolls around.
If a deal gets done, he will move on from a team with players like Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David, Markus ‘Kjaerbye’ Kjærbye, and Håvard ‘rain’ Nygaard for the likes of Nemanja ‘nexa’ Isaković and longtime French star Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub.
NiKo has been with FaZe for three years, but all indications are that his spell wearing the red and black jerseys won’t be lasting much longer.