The Ajax of Amsterdam continues on the same path
Despite the summer departures of Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus) and Frenkie de Jong (FC Barcelona), the Ajax of Amsterdam continues on the same path that was set throughout the past season. They are the solid leaders in the Eredivisie standings and have also secured a spot in the Champions League round of 16.
The performances of players like Tadic, Blind, and Donny van de Beek have been more than notable. Particularly significant is the case of van de Beek, who after a summer where many believed he would join Real Madrid, has started the season in sensational form (7 goals and 6 assists in the 21 official matches he has played so far).
Despite the reports linking him to Real Madrid, the move eventually fell through due to Zinedine Zidane's insistence on prioritizing the signing of Paul Pogba. None of the options ended up joining the club in the Spanish capital.
Now, the situation is well advanced for next summer. According to the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the agreement between Real Madrid and Ajax for the transfer of the player next summer is practically closed for an amount that is around €55M. Despite the sensational emergence of Fede Valverde, the Madrid squad needs to add new pieces to this area of the field due to the age of Luka Modric, who is already 34 years old and nearing the end of his career. One of the options that Donny van de Beek discarded to join Santiago Bernabéu was Tottenham, where he had become one of the names on José Mourinho's agenda.