Ajax is reportedly growing impatient with Brian Brobbey and it could result in the young striker leaving Amsterdam in January.
- By Michael Bell
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Ajax have managed to extend the deals of a number of their top talents in recent months including Devyne Rensch, Sontje Hansen, and Ryan Gravenberch, but Brian Brobbey is the one that so far has refused.
The 18-year-old is coming into the final months of his current deal and is currently free to talk with other clubs. Ajax is trying hard to get the forward to sign a contract but so far no agreement has been reached with Brobbey or his agent Mino Raiola.
Brobbey has made three appearances for Ajax’s first-team this season but finds himself pushed further down the pecking order by the signing of Sebastien Haller last week. The youngster also has to compete with Lassina Traore and Klaas Jan Huntelaar for the one striker position in Erik ten Hag’s line-up.
Despite the €22.5 million signing of Haller, which some believe only happened because of the Brobbey situation, Ajax director Marc Overmars is adamant that they are doing all they can to keep hold of the Netherlands youth international. He told ESPN, “We certainly do not say goodbye to Brobbey.
“I absolutely hope he will join in because he has everything he needs to succeed here. We know him, he’s been here for at least ten years. It’s a good match for the future. He’s only eighteen.”
However, Voetbal International is now reporting that Ajax has lost patience with Brobbey and it is looking more and more likely that he will leave the club in the coming weeks if a solution can’t be found.
Ten Hag also seemed resigned to losing Brobbey, calling it a “Sin” that he won’t sign a new deal, and added, “Ajax has one of the best academies in the world of football. We are the springboard for players to European top clubs. Look at Matthijs, Frenkie, Donny… I think it’s sad when players decide to leave too early here, especially when they spend their entire youth here.”
Utrecht have been linked with a move for Brobbey, while Raiola has reportedly sounded out some Italian sides who could be interested in his client.
At the moment, Brobbey is injured which does not help Ajax in their bid to convince the forward that he will get playing time for the club. However, the Netherlands youth international needs to decide whether he would play more at a different club should he move. At Utrecht, he would play, but Brobbey wouldn’t be the first or second choice at an AC Milan or Juventus.
It remains to be seen what will happen in the coming weeks as Ajax and Brobbey continue their talks. If it does not result in a new deal then Brobbey will find himself at a new club before the end of the transfer window.
The future of a possible future Netherlands international is really up in the air at the moment.
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