Ajax will pay a club-record fee for Tottenham forward Steven Bergwijn, but a deal is not likely to be concluded quickly.
That’s according to journalist Mike Verweij, who says the Dutch giants are holding back their efforts so they can add the forward to the books in a new financial year.
Bergwijn has been heavily linked with a move away from Tottenham since January when Ajax first made a move for him.
That deal never happened, but they’ve retained an interest in him, and there is a growing belief, particularly in the Netherlands, that he will end up at Ajax at some point this summer.
Indeed, a deal is likely to take precedence for both clubs, with the Eredivisie side needing to find a replacement for Sebastien Haller and Tottenham wanting to raise further funds as they back Antonio Conte’s rebuild.
Verweij, though, says a deal is not likely to happen soon because of a number of factors in play.
“That deal may take some time, and it has to do with several factors,” he told De Telegraaf.
“Daniel Levy is a very difficult negotiator, but also, accounting-wise, it seems interesting for Ajax to sign him after July 1st. So sell before and buy after July 1st, so you’re in two different financial years; Ajax can therefore write better figures.
“I think the fans will have to be patient for a while before Bergwijn arrives, but I am almost certain that he will come.
“Clearly, he’s the absolute best (for Ajax manager Schreuder). Ajax is going to break the record price, which was the €25m purchase of Haller.”
