Yves Bissouma is set to return to football after leaving Tottenham this summer, with his arrival at Ajax ‘only a matter of time’.
De Telegraaf report that the 30-year-old is current in Amsterdam to finalise a move to the Dutch giants.
The newspaper reports that the Mali international has reached an agreement in principle with Ajax on a contract until 2027. That includes the option of an additional year. Bissouma is already in Amsterdam for a medical.
Once those final details are settled, the midfielder will join on a free transfer. He is a free agent after leaving Tottenham in the summer. Spurs allowed him to depart after a controversial end to his time with them riddled with a series of incidents.
Calculated transfer gamble
Ajax though are ‘willing to take the gamble’ and offer the player a second chance. They are perhaps banking on getting the Yves Bissouma who was once highly rated in the Premier League.
Like many, he made his name at Brighton after joining them in a €17m deal from Lille in 2018.
He went on to make 124 appearances for the Seagulls – managing six goals and three assists – and establishing himself as one of the rising stars in the Premier League.
Poor Tottenham spell
Tottenham came calling in 2022, paying €29.2m for his services. But he never established himself in London as he or Spurs would have liked, with 111 appearances in his four years.
That was largely due to a series of injuries, with a broken ankle in 2023 seeing him miss 81 days. The most significant was a knee injury last year that saw him miss 131 days and 30 games for club and country.
There was also the off-field issues, with the midfielder accused of using nitrous oxide and frequent lateness.
It is those issues, perhaps, which have stopped Premier League teams from being tempted by a move this summer. Now Ajax are closing in and are willing to take the risk, for this season at least.
