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Ajax is working hard behind the scenes to complete the transfer of Álvaro Barreal from Cincinnati FC, Argentinian and American media write. Director of football affairs Sven Mislintat is said to have agreed with the club management of the Major League Soccer club on a transfer fee of more than seven million euros for the Argentinian, who will turn 23 this month. For that amount, Ajax will receive 75 percent of the transfer rights. The remainder remains the property of Vélez Sarsfield, the former employer of the left leg.
Barreal’s name was mentioned a week ago in De Telegraaf’s football podcast Kick-Off. Football chief Valentijn Driessen claimed that the Argentinian was ‘offered’ to Ajax. “He is a kind of Hakim Ziyech, can come from left and right and scores much more than Ziyech,” the journalist said in conversation with presenter Pim Sedee. “It was also offered by a Dutch broker. I would say, ‘At least go after them and talk to them,’ but they don’t talk to anyone.”
Barreal is not so much ‘a kind of Ziyech’ but more of a very versatile player who can play as a wing defender or midfielder and on both sides. Ajax mainly sees an emerging left wing defender in the Argentinian, as both trainer Maurice Steijn and Mislintat are not fully convinced of the occupation on the left side of the defense. Anass Salah-Eddine was preferred to Owen Wijndal in the 3-1 practice defeat against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday and that seems to be the writing on the wall.
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The fact that Ajax seems to have become concrete for Barreal probably means interest in VfB Stuttgart’s Hiroki Ito has faded. The Bundesliga club was not impressed last week by the first bid from the team from Amsterdam for the central defender annex left back. Ajax hopes to be able to give a blow to the arrival of Barreal soon, even though Cincinnati wanted to keep the Argentinian until the end of the competition. The left leg has become one of the sensations of the MLS.
Including all competitions, Barreal’s counter this season stands at thirty games, four goals and ten assists. In total, the counter of the Argentinian, who cost the MLS club less than one and a half million euros in September 2020, stands at 105 matches in all competitions, 15 goals and 21 assists. Argentinian national coach Lionel Scaloni knows Barreal from the representative youth teams of la selección albiceleste and keeps an eye on his compatriot for the national team.
2023-08-06 21:09:00
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