Bayern Munich was indeed interested in the services of Steven Bergwijn, Nathan van Kooperen confirms Good morning Eredivisie. The captain was indeed considered an alternative to Bryan Zaragoza, but if that transfer had fallen through, Ajax could have expected an offer of 'thirty plus million' from Bavaria.

“They certainly made inquiries two days before the market closed. But they were quite clear that they were going for Zaragoza and if that didn't work out that they wanted to switch to Zaragoza Stevie.”

“What kind of transfer fee would you talk about?”, Hans Kraay junior asks the agent. “Thirty plus,” he answers firmly. Bergwijn came over from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2022 for 31.25 million. Ajax would therefore probably at least break even on that transfer, if it had come about.

Whether Bergwijn was open to a move to Der Rekordmeister the player agent finds it difficult to estimate. “Because Bayern couldn't take concrete action, we didn't really talk about it.”

Al-Ettifaq's interest in Ajax's captain is also confirmed by Van Kooperen. Bergwijn was not unwilling to leave for Saudi Arabia, he says. “I don't think that would have been the right step and that's why he still plays for Ajax.”

Edson Alvarez

Bergwijn was not the only one for whom Ajax could have cashed in heavily just before the transfer window closed. Edson Álvarez, also a player whose interests are represented by Van Kooperen's agency, was also approached by Chelsea at the last minute a year earlier.

Chelsea reported in Amsterdam three days before the transfer window closed. “Chelsea wanted to go far. They wanted to do everything they could to get him, but Ajax had no replacement ready.”

Chelsea was prepared to pay sixty million euros for Álvarez, the player's agent reveals. “Edson saw his friends leaving the club, but he wasn't allowed. He had become the most expensive Mexican player in history, so he had a hard time with that.”

Ultimately, Álvarez moved to West Ham United in the summer. That transfer ultimately yielded the Amsterdam team a whopping 38 million euros. 22 million euros less than he had delivered a year earlier.

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