Tottenham Hotspur have told Ajax they will almost have to double their opening offer to sign Steven Bergwijn in the January transfer window, according to the Evening Standard.
Ajax want Bergwijn to return to his native Netherlands over the winter as they bid to retain their Eredivisie title. Erik ten Hag’s side are locked in a battle with the winger’s former club, PSV Eindhoven. De Godenzonen trail Roger Schmidt’s Boeren by one-point after 18 games.
But Spurs rejected the Amsterdam natives’ initial bid worth around £15m, as they consider the offer vasty insufficient. Instead, the north Londoners hope to make back as close to the £27m paid to PSV two-years ago to sell.
Tottenham are not against agreeing a transfer with Ajax for Bergwijn to be Antonio Conte’s first sale as Spurs manager. The 24-year-old forward is also open to a return to Holland as he has struggled to make a sustained success of himself in the Premier League so far.
Bergwijn has struggled to offer a reliable threat under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and now Conte. He has also struggled with confidence, resulting in just five goals and 10 assists after 64 appearances across all competitions.
The 16-cap winger has only struck one goal and two assists so far this season in 13 games. He scored shortly before assisting Lucas Moura in Spurs’ Carabao Cup win over West Ham on December 22. His previous assist came in the first Premier League game of the term.
Along with chasing almost double the £15m Ajax offered, Tottenham also want to secure a replacement before sanctioning Bergwijn’s transfer. Conte is loath to leave himself short of attacking options with Heung-Min Son likely absent until the end of January through injury.
Ajax ready to bid again to seal Bergwijn transfer from Tottenham
Bergwijn is also currently on the sidelines with a calf injury, but Tottenham expect the Ajax transfer target back soon. De Godenzonen are also ready to bid again and improve their proposal. Yet it remains to be seen how close to the circa-£27m valuation they now offer.
Tottenham are under no pressure to accept a cut-price fee and take a hit on the one-time Ajax prospect. Bergwijn is under contract in north London earning £73k-a-week until 2025.
Spurs can also point to his injuries this season as a reason behind his lacklustre output so far. Nuno cited them as an issue amid praise for Bergwijn during his brief spell at the helm.
“Stevie started the season very, very well,” he said, via football.london, in October. “Very, very well. Unfortunately, he got injured in the national team and since then he’s struggled.
“But now he’s getting back. Like I said to you before, it’s about getting him fitter, stronger, faster because he’s a very talented player. Very talented player. Unique inside our squad.
“He has things that really can really help us. He’s fantastic in 1v1, offensive, he’s fast, he gives us speed. We need Stevie. I repeat myself: we need Stevie.”
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