Transfer Centre

Ajax rule out January sale of in-demand duo Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 17 December 2018

Edwin van der Saar says that Ajax will not cash in on Barcelona-linked duo Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt in the January transfer window.

Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Saar has insisted that neither Matthijs de Ligt nor Frenkie de Jong will be leaving the club next month.

Barcelona are rumoured to be leading the race for the talented Dutch duo, who played an important part in helping the Eredivisie giants to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League.

De Ligt's form over the past 12 months saw him named the European Golden Boy winner on Monday, while De Jong has performed well in a more advanced central-midfield position.

Despite the growing interest in the pair, Ajax have no intention of letting either player go midway through the season.

Asked if there is a chance they could leave, Van der Saar told ESPN: "No, no, no. That's a no. We're not going to sell a player halfway through the season. No way. If you have financial difficulties you might look at it, but for us no.

"We've qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League. Of course you want to go as along as possible in the tournament. We want to be champions this year. We have to keep improving and keep the pressure on PSV [Eindhoven].

"We've had a good season until this moment, but it says a lot that they are still ahead of us, so that says a lot about PSV. We want to win the cup, also. You want to win as many prizes as possible."

Ajax trail PSV by two points in the Dutch top flight and will face Real Madrid in the first knockout round of the Champions League in February.