In the wake of reports linking Tottenham Hotspur winger Steven Bergwijn with a transfer to Ajax, Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal has encouraged Bergwijn to leave the club as soon as possible.
During the 2021-22 season, the 24-year-old’s playing time in North London was severely limited, with only four Premier League starts under Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.
Former club Ajax is rumored to be interested in bringing the winger back to the Netherlands this summer, and Conte is ready to let him go in order to fund his huge rebuilding project in the next transfer window.
Bergwijn‘s national team coach has now chimed in on the rumours, asking his player to return to Ajax in order to safeguard his chances of being selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which will be held at the end of the year.
Speaking after the 4-1 win over Belgium on Friday evening, in which Bergwijn scored, Van Gaal said: “I want him to go to Ajax as soon as possible. Tottenham don’t give him enough playing minutes and that is unbelievable when you see his qualities.”
According to the Mirror, Ajax had a proposal rejected by Spurs on Friday, but the Amsterdam-based club is likely to increase its offer to roughly £18 million, which might include an additional £2 million in add-ons.
Bergwijn joined Spurs from PSV in January 2020 for about £26.5 million, and the winger has since made 83 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring eight goals.
