Ajax Amsterdam have reportedly expressed an interest in signing academy player and current Tottenham Hotspur forward Steven Bergwijn on loan in January.
Bergwijn spent three years in the famous Ajax Amsterdam academy before moving to PSV Eindhoven to continue his development.
He made his debut for PSV’s senior team in 2014 while still in the PSV youth setup and in 2017 he finally nailed promotion to the senior team where he impressed and became one of the most sought-after wingers in football during his three-year senior team career at the club.
The 24-year-old joined Tottenham Hotspur who fended off interest from Barcelona and Inter Milan to sign the forward from PSV Eindhoven in January 2020 in a deal worth around £26.7million.
He was a mainstay in José Mourinho’s Spurs, getting the Mourinho treatment sometimes but being called upon regularly. However, he has struggled for game-time under new head coach Antonio Conte, who seems not to be keen on using the Dutchman.
Conte doesn’t believe in him, Dutch reporter claims
The Dutch reporter who is the source of this news claims that new Spurs head coach Antonio Conte is not the biggest fan of the 24-year-old.
“Conte doesn’t see it in him at all,” said the Dutch football reporter, Mike Vermeij.
“Conte is also the one who thwarted Bergwijn’s transfer from PSV to Italy. Inter Milan were interested at the time but Conte didn’t need him.
“Conte has only said two words to Bergwijn in two weeks at Tottenham Hotspur. That is why Ajax can consider (signing) him.”
Bergwijn has not found it as easy as when he first joined the club and could consider a return to a club where he started his youth career, according to Vermeij.
Antonio Conte responds to Bergwijn transfer speculations
In the press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Spurs versus Brentford match, Conte responded to questions about the speculation that Bergwijn could join Ajax in the January transfer window.
“We are talking about a player that has important skills,” the Italian manager said. “It was a pity for me but not for the national team that he scored [during the November international break].
“I would have liked to have had him during the two weeks of the international break to know him much better. But he has great quality – he’s great one-vs-one, very fast, great quality to beat the man and score.
“Now we are working, he is understanding what I want from him. For me he’s one of the three strikers, he can play in every three positions for the strikers.
“He is a player I have to make an important evaluation [of] but he is in our squad and I count on him.
“[Against Brentford] he’s ready and available. Against Mura he had a problem and otherwise he should have played, but tomorrow he’s available.”