Man Utd rejected by Tottenham flop Bergwijn
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 4 Jul 2022 12:15 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United were rejected by Tottenham flop Steven Bergwijn this summer, with the Netherlands international instead pushing to secure a move back to the Eredivisie with Ajax.
The 24-year-old Bergwijn arrived at Tottenham for a deal worth €30 million in the January transfer window of 2020, but he has spent the majority of time with the Premier League side on the periphery of things.
During the 2021/22 season, he made only a handful of starts for Spurs, and these typically came in competitions that were far from their leading priority. Indeed, under manager Antonio Conte, he featured from the outset of a Premier League fixture only once.
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Against this backdrop, he performed well for the Netherlands when called upon, notably scoring three times in two Nations League fixtures against Denmark and Germany in March.
Such form brought him onto the radar of several clubs, including Manchester United and Everton, but De Telegraaf reports that Bergwijn instead wanted to return to his native country as he pushes for inclusion in Ronald Koeman’s World Cup squad.
Ajax beat Man Utd to Bergwijn
Indeed, Spurs stood to make a profit on the flop signing had he gone to one of their Premier League rivals. It is stated that Man Utd were willing to pay £35 million (€40.6m) for the attacker.
Instead, his move to Amsterdam is set to net Spurs around €30m – a significant drop from what they might have earned, but equally they have the consolation of knowing that they cannot be directly hurt domestically by a player they dumped rather unceremoniously.
While Man Utd’s interest in Bergwijn may come as a surprise, new manager Erik ten Hag has been scouring the Eredivisie for signings. While he has been closely linked with several players from former club Ajax, his first addition will be PSV full-back Tyrell Malacia.
Berwijn is not long out of the Dutch top flight and is a player that Ten Hag will know intimately.
From the player’s perspective, though, a move back to Ajax is a safer bet with the World Cup looming and was perhaps decisive in his decision not to go to Man Utd this summer.
