Leonardo Balerdi does not move to Ajax. The central defender of Olympique Marseille confirmed this on Thursday. The Argentinian did confirm that there have been talks with the team from Amsterdam, but indicated that he preferred to continue playing in Stade Vélodrome. Balerdi feels comfortable there.
Balerdi was asked about Ajax’s interest at a press conference. The defender immediately confirmed that there had indeed been contact. “I have indeed spoken with Ajax”, various French media reported from the mouth of the Argentinian. “I would like to thank them for that, but I also told them that I would rather stay here. Ajax is a top club, but Marseille is too and it is disrespectful to my teammates and the club to leave in the winter.”
The Argentinian defender exchanged Boca Juniors for Dortmund in the meantime and, partly due to adjustment problems, the adventure in Germany was never a success. Balerdi then also opted for a rental period at Marseille, before switching permanently in 2021 for eight million euros. Ajax reserved a transfer fee of between ten and fifteen million euros for the 1.87-meter-long mandekker, who has played 74 matches with the French so far. However, the visor needs to be shifted.
It is not yet clear which defenders are still in the picture in the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Reportedly, Abakar Sylla was also an option for the Amsterdam club management. However, the twenty-year-old Ivorian from Club Brugge showed his worst side in an away match at KRC Genk (3-1 defeat) with a ridiculous charge before the break, for which he only received a yellow card. In the second company, Sylla was sent off after all, which led to a very special tantrum at the simple international.
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