Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Steven Bergwijn: Ajax medical set, as two reasons Tottenham winger snubbed lucrative Man Utd move emerge

Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn

Steven Bergwijn is edging closer to completing a move to Ajax after a medical was scheduled, and two reasons why he rejected the chance to join other Premier League sides have emerged.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed Tottenham had agreed a £26m deal to sell Steven Bergwijn this summer. The winger is poised to return to the Netherlands with Ajax and will become the Dutch club’s record signing, surpassing the £18.8m they paid West Ham for Sebastien Haller.

A five-year deal will be signed and many of the details have now been corroborated by the Athletic.

However, their article, written by David Ornstein, shed new light on why Bergwijn chose Ajax rather than entertain offers to remain in England.

Dutch outlet, De Telegraaf, recently reported both Man Utd and Everton were prepared to pay £35m for Bergwijn.

United were linked with Bergwijn dating back to January and are known to be hunting a versatile, wide forward.

Everton, meanwhile, sold Richarlison to Tottenham and must replace the Brazilian’s firepower.

Tottenham could’ve recouped a larger fee if selling to a domestic rival. However, the Athletic have detailed two reasons why Bergwijn snubbed the moves.

World Cup ambitions front and centre

They state playing week in, week out was on his mind, as well as featuring in the Champions League.

Both those desires are with the Qatar World Cup in mind. Bergwijn is a regular in Louis van Gaal’s squads, though his role as a starter is far from secure.

Neither United or Everton have Champions League football on offer. He would have been a regular starter at Everton, though competition from the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga would’ve been fierce at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal has reportedly fired a warning to his players that regular football in the coming months is a must. Clearly, the ex-Man Utd boss played some part in Bergwijn rejecting a move to Old Trafford.

Tottenham deals made Bergwijn surplus to requirements

The 24-year-old played a bit-part role under both Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte last season.

However, his influence reduced further once Dejan Kulusevski arrived in January.

The Swede was an instant hit and formed a superb understanding with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Lucas Moura remains in reserve for Conte, while Richarlison has just arrived for north of £50m.

As such, Bergwijn’s exit is the natural next step in the evolution of Conte’s front line.

Given Ajax were willing to pay almost the exact fee Tottenham paid PSV Eindhoven in 2020, a parting of ways made perfect sense.