Mohammed Kudus has expressed his "disappointment" after his summer move to Everton was blocked.
The 22-year-old has claimed he was "close" to signing for then-manager Frank Lampard but has revealed that he saw his move from Ajax blocked when Manchester United splashed out on attacker Antony.
Internationally capped with Ghana, the midfielder was linked with a £15m move to the Blues during the summer due to his lack of game time in the Dutch capital. Following his displays at the World Cup in Qatar, his price tag is likely to have skyrocketed but after initially being close to leaving the Eredivisie giants, he now wants to extend with Jonny Heitinga's side.
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"The fact that Ajax blocked a transfer to Everton last summer disappointed me. I thought it was time for a new chapter in my career, because I didn’t play here," said Kudus in an interview with De Telegraaf.
"But the moment the transfer market closed, my full focus was back on Ajax. The only reason I wanted to leave before that was my reserve role."
Former Everton defender, Heitinga, replaced Alfred Schreuder as Ajax manager at the turn of the year and their fortunes have turned around as they sit within three points of league leaders Feyenoord.
With a title charge at the forefront of his ambitions, noting the Blues' disappointing Premier League campaign, the Ghana international has expressed his happiness.
He added: "I eliminated that reason [reserve role] myself. Everton are not doing well in the Premier League, Ajax are in the title race and under John Heitinga I am a permanent fixture.
"I have a strong faith in God and he has made the positive decision for me not to let the transfer go through.
"I am very happy at Ajax at the moment, but I will be even happier if we win the double. But why wouldn’t I want to renew? I play and develop well. Now it’s about negotiation and valuation. When the time is right, we’ll see how it goes. But that will have to be conducted with my agent. I want to focus entirely on the title race."
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