Berghuis swaps Feyenoord for Ajax

Ajax and Feyenoord reached an initial agreement on Friday on the transfer of Dutch international Steven Berghuis, who will sign a contract with the Amsterdam club until June 2025 after a medical.

"I am 29 years old and it was clear that I wanted to take a step further," the player said in an Ajax statement. "I was looking to combine playing for titles, participating in the Champions League and staying in the Netherlands national team," he added. The clubs did not disclose how much the transfer fee is, although several Dutch media outlets put it at a maximum of 5.5 million euros.

Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars described Berghuis as "an important Dutch player who has come a long way in recent years and, as a result, has internationalised". The deal comes on the same day as the renewal of Serbian striker Dusan Tadic's contract with Ajax until mid-2024.

"We play a lot of games, so it is important that we cover all positions well. With Berghuis we bring in a creative attacker with a high return, his statistics speak for themselves," explained Overmars.

The right winger has had spells with a number of Dutch clubs, including Twente, VVV Venlo and AZ Alkmaar, and played between 2015 and 2017 for English club Watford. Last season he made 41 official appearances for Feyenoord, scoring 21 goals and providing 16 assists.

He was called up by the Netherlands for this summer's Euros, although he made only two appearances, both coming on in the second half. Feyenoord fans have taken to social networks to express their disapproval of the transfer because of the Rotterdam club's historic rivalry with Ajax.

 

July 16, 2021