Transfer Centre

Ajax 'agree £25.9m deal for Tottenham Hotspur's Steven Bergwijn'

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 04 July 2022

Ajax 'agree £25.9m deal for Tottenham's Steven Bergwijn'

Ajax reportedly agree a €30m (£25.9m) deal for Tottenham Hotspur's Steven Bergwijn, who will snub interest from Everton and Manchester United to sign a five-year deal.

Ajax have reportedly agreed a €30m (£25.9m) deal to sign Steven Bergwijn from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Netherlands international endured a frustrating 2021-22 season in North London and was frequently overlooked for starts in the final third by Antonio Conte.

Bergwijn already found himself behind Lucas Moura, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in the pecking order, and the arrival of Dejan Kulusevski limited his game time further.

Tottenham have already bolstered their attacking ranks for the new season by bringing in Richarlison from Everton in a £60m deal, and Bergwijn has been expected to complete a move elsewhere.

Ajax has been touted as the most likely destination for the 24-year-old, and according to De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij, a deal has now been agreed.

Steven Bergwijn warms up for Tottenham Hotspur in December 2021 © Reuters

Verweij claims that Ajax will fork out €30m (£25.9m) to welcome Bergwijn to the club, and the Dutch attacker is poised to sign a five-year deal until the summer of 2027 after spending six years in their youth academy from 2005 to 2011.

Everton and Manchester United were supposedly ready to hijack a move for the former PSV Eindhoven man and were prepared to beat Ajax's offer with bids of £35m.

However, Bergwijn is understood to have earmarked Ajax as his first choice and has therefore snubbed interest from the two Premier League clubs to seal a return to his homeland.

Bergwijn admitted last month while on international duty that he was pining for a move away from Spurs, telling AD: "Have I talked to Alfred Schreuder [Ajax manager] about my future? I'm at Oranje now and then we'll have a look.

"It would be nice if there was clarity soon. I just have to go play. But I want to leave Spurs now, that's for sure. Whether it is important that my new club plays in the Champions League? That's not even top priority. Though it would be nice. What's important is that I'm going to play.

Hoffenheim head coach Alfred Schreuder pictured on May 27, 2020 © Reuters

"I wasn't allowed to leave Spurs in the winter and then I didn't have any problems. The last few months I was hardly looked after there. Now I want to play somewhere weekly."

Bergwijn - who previously won three Eredivisie titles during his time with PSV - prepares to leave Tottenham after scoring eight goals and setting up 10 more in 83 appearances in all competitions over the past two-and-a-half years.

Ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal had also advised Bergwijn to sign for Ajax, telling reporters: "If it's up to me, Steven Bergwijn may join Ajax as soon as possible."

Bergwijn came off the bench to score a sensational late brace in a 3-2 win against Leicester City back in January, but he only started four Premier League games in the entirety of the 2021-22 season.

The Netherlands international struck four goals and provided two assists in 32 matches in all competitions last season, and he previously registered 64 contributions (29 goals, 35 assists) in 112 Eredivisie games for PSV.