At the end of the transfer window, Ajax wants to do everything it can to sell David Neres, says Mike Verweij. The Ajax-watcher of The Telegraph says in Kick-Off – the newspaper’s football podcast – that some clubs have inquired about the Brazilian attacker, for whom, contrary to previous reports, Olympique Lyon is not (any longer) in the market. Ajax still wants to leave an amount of twenty million euros to Neres.
“The story was about Neres that Lyon would be in the market”, Verweij begins. “They used to be for a while, but they aren’t anymore. There are some other clubs that have informed, so everyone hopes it’s the calm before the storm. Because although Erik ten Hag said very nicely that he wants to keep Neres there, the club just wants to sell him. Ajax wants about twenty million euros, plus a resale percentage and bonuses. They are doing everything they can to sell him before the end of the transfer market.”
André Onana can also leave Ajax in the last days of the transfer window. “As far as Onana is concerned, there is good news for Ajax, because there are two clubs that are fairly concrete for him. Ajax has to sell him this period, otherwise they won’t get anything more or less for it. They hope that he will find shelter at another club,” says Verweij. Onana is in possession of an expiring contract with Ajax, making this summer the penultimate moment for the team from Amsterdam to collect a transfer fee for the goalkeeper.
Ajax already said goodbye to Jurgen Ekkelenkamp this week, who left for Hertha BSC for three million euros. “Ekkelenkamp was worth more before he was completely ignored by Erik ten Hag. That is a player from Jong Oranje, so three million euros is not the amount that Ajax ever had in mind. But yes, at Neres you must not forget that two years ago, 47 million euros were bid from China. It is also an art to sell on time.”
“He has been injured a lot and just not well at the moment”, Verweij explains the reason why Ajax now wants to wear out Neres. “Occasionally you get a glimpse of the Neres from two years ago. Internally, Ajax has already said goodbye to him. The same applies to Onana, who was reportedly worth thirty million euros. If they get five million for him now, they’ll run the polonaise. Those are amounts of which you think: wow.”
Verweij questions the decision not to sell Edson Álvarez to Stade Rennais for twenty million euros. “You have to ask yourself whether a passer-by like Erik ten Hag doesn’t have too much power at Ajax. As director of football affairs (Marc Overmars, ed.) or supervisory board you simply have to say that Edson Álvarez is going to Stade Rennais for twenty million euros. If you don’t, you run a very big risk. Because there is a chance that it will decrease. He has only been in the starting line-up for half a year. When he didn’t play, he was able to go to CSKA Moscow. They wanted to rent him with an option to buy, worth seven or eight million euros.”