Tottenham Hotspur reportedly want Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong after bringing in zero players this summer.
It was reported by the Telegraph that Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Ajax youngster Frenkie de Jong and that Mauricio Pochettino and co are considering a move for the 21-year-old in January.
So far it seems pretty straightforward, although any deal for De Jong would depend on what Barcelona decide to do, with their interest also well documented.
Now, Ajax director of football Marc Overmars has spoken out on the interest in his player – and it’s both good news and bad news for Spurs.
“Barcelona did not value De Jong enough,” said Overmars, quoted by Ajax Showtime.
“Barcelona may try again for Frenkie in January. Players will not move away in that period, however.”
Spurs can take two things from this. The first, and most straightforward, is that they would face a struggle to sign De Jong in January and, from the way Overmars is talking, any move would be highly unlikely if not impossible.
While that may not be what they want to hear, the fact that Barcelona didn’t ‘value’ the player enough should play into their hands.
It had been suggested that Barca not signing De Jong was because of an agreement not to move this summer in order to secure things in a year, but Overmars instead suggests that it’s because the Catalonian’s are unsure.
If this really is the case, and you’d have to assume it is if Overmars is announcing it, then Barca’s doubt over his value could be exactly what Spurs need to convince both the player and Ajax.
Tottenham and Pochettino can certainly offer him a place where he’d feel ‘valued’ as there can be little doubt over how good a signing he’d be for Spurs.
They may not have got good news on a January move, but Barcelona’s hesitancy is a brilliant sign that this transfer could get done.
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