Departure of a strongman is possible according to Verweij: ‘Then Ajax will cooperate’
Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 7:10 AM
Ajax is willing to cooperate in the departure of Steven Bergwijn if the Amsterdam club can recoup the purchase price of two years ago. This is what journalist Mike Verweij says in De Telegraaf’s football podcast Kick-off. Bergwijn was acquired from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2022 for more than 31 million euros.
This week, transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano reported that West Ham may want to take over Ajax’s captain this month. “West Ham United has dormant interest. I think Heitinga, who has been there for six months now, has seen that Bergwijn can be of value in West Ham’s playing style, especially with his speed,” said Verweij.
More: Jack van Gelder doesn’t understand anything about leaving Ajax: ‘I would have kept him’
Verweij does not consider Bergwijn’s departure from Amsterdam impossible. “I think that when Ajax gets the chance, perhaps not this winter, the club will cooperate in a transfer from Bergwijn. But only if they get their purchase price back, so around 30 million euros.” Bergwijn is still in the Johan Cruijff ArenA until mid-2027. According to Transfermarkt, the 26-year-old Amsterdammer is worth around 20 million euros.
Driessen would not understand it if John Heitinga was behind the interest in Bergwijn. “Then I immediately lost all my confidence in Heitinga. If he starts recommending Bergwijn to West Ham, I will lose my confidence in him. That is the same as with Ten Hag, then he gives Ajax a lot of money.” Heitinga has been an assistant coach in London since last summer.
Not reported
It remains to be seen how serious West Ham’s interest in Bergwijn is. Head scout Kelvin de Lang, who is responsible for transfers at Ajax this winter, responded to Voetbal International and Algemeen Dagblad about the alleged interest in the captain.
“I read that too, but they didn’t call me, I can promise that,” said De Lang. “He is an important player for us, we would like to keep him. I think that in good condition Bergwijn is really one of the players who can be decisive for us. We just want to continue with that.”
Bergwijn returned to his childhood love Ajax in the summer of 2022, but has so far achieved little success in his hometown. In 65 official matches, the captain scored 24 goals and 9 assists. Bergwijn is still waiting for his first prize with Ajax.
2024-01-13 09:18:00
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