Steven Berghuis may wear the Ajax shirt next season. The idea alone is against the sore leg of almost every Feyenoord fan and perhaps not all supporters in Amsterdam are waiting for the arrival of the captain of the arch rival. Director of football affairs Marc Overmars mainly looks at the figures and therefore telephoned Frank Arnesen, technical director of Feyenoord, to confirm the interest.
Berghuis does not have a limited transfer fee of four million euros. It is an amount that the Amsterdammers cough up with ease. In recent years, Overmars paid huge amounts for attacking reinforcements by Dutch standards. For example, Sébastien Haller (West Ham United) cost 22.5 million euros, Dusan Tadic (Southampton) came for a maximum of 13.7 million euros, for the signing of David Neres (São Paulo) a total of 22 million euros was paid in the end, while the Antony (São Paulo) fixed transfer fee of 15.75 million can increase by another 7 million. Berghuis can therefore be seen as a bargain. The message that his limited transfer fee would only apply to foreign clubs was debunked on Tuesday afternoon by Mike Verweij, Ajax’s watcher. The Telegraph who brought out the news that Ajax has reported to Feyenoord for Berghuis.
Ajax or PSV?
After a failed adventure at Watford, Berghuis landed on a rental basis in De Kuip in 2016. He became champion with Feyenoord and then made the definitive switch to Rotterdam for 6.5 million euros. The 29-year-old winger has grown into a supporting force and can call himself captain. Last year he flirted flashy with PSV, which wanted to bring him to the Philips Stadium. He eventually opted for a new contract with Feyenoord until mid-2022. The deal included an escape clause that not only Ajax, but also PSV hope to benefit from. It Eindhovens Dagblad previously reported that Berghuis is high on the wish list of technical manager John de Jong. PSV has been very busy this transfer period and has so far picked up one player after another. Ajax wants to hinder the title competitor for next season by stealing Berghuis from De Jong’s nose.
Ajax and PSV are not the only clubs with interest. Berghuis also beckons a transfer to VfL Wolfsburg, the club where Mark van Bommel was recently appointed as head coach. according to Feyenoord Transfermarkt Van Bommel already inquired about Berghuis’ contract situation at Feyenoord. In conversation with ESPN the Dutch international Wout Weghorst already announced prior to the European Championship that he had tipped the Wolfsburg club management about Berghuis. “I have done that myself quite often with the club management, I must say honestly,” said the Wolfsburg striker. “Already without the coach. I’ve done my best myself a few times. So if it happens again now, it will come from multiple directions. Can he come to us?” Berghuis himself announced at the end of May that he only wants to make a decision about his sporting future after the European Championship. “I am now focusing on the European Championship,” the sought-after attacker told the General Newspaper. He recently canceled a move to the newly promoted Norwich City.
Berghuis himself seems to be open to a transfer to Ajax. After all, Overmars does not officially report to Rotterdam without being sure that there is a serious chance of success, it writes General Newspaper. Valentijn Driessen, football chief of The Telegraph, announced at the end of May that the Feyenoord captain would ‘very much like to go to Ajax’. “What I understood from it is that he is looking for a club close to home,” Driessen added. A new winger is more than welcome in Amsterdam. David Neres is looking for a departure and Overmars has already mentioned the Brazilian more than once in the list of players who may leave. In January Quincy Promes was sold to Spartak Moscow and the rented Oussama Idrissi has since returned to Seville. In addition, Antony will participate in the Olympic Games with Brazil, which means that the wash is thin on Erik ten Hag’s flanks. Should Ajax succeed in capturing Berghuis, then Ten Hag will not only have his desired winger inside, a blow will also be dealt to competitor PSV on the transfer market.
NOS: Ajax almost has a purchase of fifteen million euros
Kamaldeen Sulemana seems well on his way to Ajax.
Behind the scenes, Overmars is also working hard on the arrival of Kamaldeen Sulemana. His arrival is separate from attracting Berghuis, Verweij reported on Twitter on Tuesday. FC Nordsjaelland’s Ghanaian is only 19 years old and is expected to take some time to adjust to his new environment. Berghuis, on the other hand, can be deployed immediately. He is already familiar with the Eredivisie and already knows Ajax players Maarten Stekelenburg, Jurriën Timber, Daley Blind, Ryan Gravenberch and Davy Klaassen from the Dutch national team. In preparation for the new season, he will have to adapt to the playing style of the team from Amsterdam. It remains to be seen how much time a player with his qualities will need. At Feyenoord and in the Dutch he is also used to playing with an upcoming right back, while Haller in particular will be delighted with the arrival of Berghuis.
118 – Since joining Feyenoord in the summer of 2016, Steven Berghuis has either scored (70) or assisted (48) 118 Eredivisie goals, at least 21 more than any other player in that period. coveted. pic.twitter.com/CBMX8IOtXZ
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) June 22, 2021
Berghuis is a player who, in terms of assists, can compare himself to figures that only players like Hakim Ziyech and Tadic in the Eredivisie could submit. Since his first Feyenoord season 2016/17, Berghuis has been the most valuable player in the Dutch league with 70 goals and 48 assists. Tadic only came to Ajax in 2018 and has since scored 53 goals and 44 assists in the Eredivisie. If Ajax perseveres and brings Berghuis into the house, Ten Hag will have the two best declarants in the Netherlands in its selection and Haller in particular, and of course also Ajax, seems to be able to prepare for a goal-rich season. In Amsterdam, Berghuis’s wish to play in the Champions League also comes true.
Feyenoord – Ajax on Berghuis birthday
The possible signing of Berghuis in Amsterdam will not only be seen as a blow to PSV, it is also a blow that is handed out to Feyenoord. In Rotterdam people will sometimes scratch their heads when they think back to the deal with Berghuis, who now ensures that he may move to the arch-rival for a few million. The attacker made Het Legioen cheer almost every week in recent years. Now Rotterdam will not be happy to say the least with a possible move of the captain. On December 19, on the thirtieth birthday of Berghuis, it will become clear how welcome he still is in De Kuip, when the Eredivisie match against Ajax is scheduled for 2.30 pm.