AZ Alkmaar captain Teun Koopmeiners has hinted at a summer transfer with Liverpool and Leeds United tipped to bring the Dutchman to the Premier League, speaking to ESPN, via Football Oranje.
This time last year, AZ fought off interest from across Europe to retain the services of their 23-year-old skipper.
At the time, a talented crop of players were determined to stick together for one more season and fire The Cheeseheads to Eredivisie glory.
AZ were joint top with Ajax when the Dutch top flight was cancelled because of the covid outbreak in spring 2020, with Koopmeiners and his teammates inspired since by a strong feeling of injustice and unfinished business.
Unfortunately, AZ haven’t come close to replicating their stellar form of the previous campaign. Pascal Jansen’s side finished third, a distant 17 points adrift of Ajax, and it seems unlikely Koopmeiners, Myron Boadu, Calvin Stengs and co will be sticking around for another year.
“I don’t know,” Koopmeiners said when asked whether Sunday’s 5-0 thrashing of Heracles was his last game for the club.
“In any case, I am happy I was able to play my 150th game. I was a bit afraid of that,” the Dutchman adds, suggesting he feared leaving before he had reached the milestone.
“You will see (what my future holds). First, I will take it easy at home for a week. I have to think a bit here and there, let me put it this way.”
According to AS in April, Jurgen Klopp sees Koopmeiners, a set-piece specialist with 17 goals to his name this season, as an ideal successor to Gini Wijnaldum at the heart of his Liverpool midfield.
Leeds United have also been linked, via The Telegraph. It’s no secret Marcelo Bielsa wants a commanding, deep-lying playmaker capable of easing the burden on Kalvin Phillips and Koopmeiners, who can also fill in at centre-half, would fit the bill.
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