Ajax are prepared to break their transfer record to sign Steven Bergwijn from Tottenham.
Bergwijn has been told he can leave Spurs this summer and Sebastien Haller’s transfer to Borussia Dortmund will help Ajax fund a move for the Dutch international.
Ajax’s current transfer record is the £20.25million they paid West Ham for Haller in January 2021. But the Dutch giants are ready to spend more than that to land Bergwijn.
Ajax want Bergwijn to form part of a new-look attack next season and are expected to step up their pursuit of the 24-year-old after agreeing to sell Haller. Tottenham paid £27m for Bergwijn in January 2020.
He struggled for game-time under Antonio Conte last season despite being in blistering form for the Netherlands. Bergwijn has scored five goals in his last seven appearances for his country and hinted last month that he would look to leave Spurs to make sure he gets into the Dutch squad for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
“A starting spot here [at Tottenham]? I don't think so to be honest,” said Bergwijn, who was born in Amsterdam and played in the Ajax academy until the age of 13, when he joined rivals PSV Eindhoven.
“It is a complicated story for me. I don't play much. Ajax could be an option for me, and a return to the Netherlands could be an option for me. The World Cup is coming.”
