As they prepare to restart their league campaign with a four-point lead over the chasing pack, PSV Eindhoven have been boosted by the news that Erik Pieters, the defender, has signed a new contract with the club.
Pieters told the club's website while with the team at a training camp in Malaga that a verbal agreement was in place to keep him at the club until 2014, and that it will be signed when the club return to Holland this weekend.
"This is good news. We will now have to wait when everything will be put on paper, but I'm very happy with the contract extension," he said. "It was important for me to have a good feeling about this and that the contract offer reflects PSV's appreciation of me.
"We reached an agreement after a number of good meetings."
The 22-year-old Dutch native joined PSV in 2008 from Utrecht and has made five appearances for Holland's national team.
Meanwhile, this week has seen the departure of Nordin Amrabat to Turkish club Kayserispor for an undisclosed fee.
Second-placed Twente have improved their defensive options for their title challenge by taking Oguchi Onyewu, the American defender, on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season.