According to a recent report by the Express, Tottenham Hotspur have received a massive boost in their chase of AFC Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong. The same report claims that Spurs are on the lookout for an ideal replacement for Christian Eriksen (who has been linked with a £100m move to Real Madrid) and have identified the Dutch prospect as a perfect candidate to line up in Mauricio Pochettino’s midfield next season.
The Express has also mentioned that the North London giants are willing to pay £67m for his services but will face stiff competition from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain in pursuit of the Eredivisie talent. However, there is enough reason for Tottenham to be optimistic about their chances of landing the player especially after De Jong has revealed in a recent interview with Fox Sports that he is yet to determine his next destination. He said, “I’m not going to make a hasty decision, but I’d like to be clear about it myself pretty quickly,”
“I do not know if I’ll make it known to the public.
“When I was in Barcelona, people thought I would join them, but that’s not the case.
“Everyone knows that I think Barcelona is a beautiful club, but I don’t know if I should see my career as a city trip.”
His recent words would be quite encouraging for Pochettino’s side as they look to fend off stiff competition to sign him next summer. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a rich vein of form and has put in some eye-catching displays at the Johan Cruijff Arena during this campaign. He has made 27 appearances for Ajax this term and has scored four goals and one assist across multiple competitions.
At such a young age, De Jong has also managed to earn five international caps for the Netherlands national team so far. He can be considered as one of the best young talents in European football, and so Tottenham will do well if they manage to lure him to North London in the near future.
The addition of De Jong will undoubtedly bolster Pochettino’s midfield options at the North London club. Spurs have the likes of Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks, Eric Dier, Oliver Skipp and Victor Wanyama vying for a midfield berth in the first-team. Thus, the acquisition of De Jong will not only add a lot of quality to the Spurs midfield but will also increase Pochettino’s squad depth significantly which could help them bridge the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City in the coming years.
Hence, it makes a lot of sense for them to go all out for the Dutch talent’s services next summer.
