The decision has been made: Paulo Da Silva is leaving the NEC youth academy for Ajax immediately. The top scorer of the Eredivisie Under 19 signs a 3.5-year contract in Amsterdam and does not leave the Nijmegen club completely empty-handed, because the club is financially compensated. The 18-year-old striker also received proposals from FC Porto and Paris Saint-Germain last week, but decided to opt for the Amsterdam team’s plan.
It was a long battle between Feyenoord and Ajax for the signature of the native of Tilburg. Just as Da Silva seemed to have made a choice, Paris Saint-Germain and FC Porto came into play. Porto’s proposal was the most concrete.
Due to Luuk de Jong’s injury, Da Silva would immediately become the third striker in Francesco Farioli’s selection, behind Spanish international Samu Aghehowa and the young Turkish talent Deniz Gül. PSG’s proposal was not that specific, but in the nursery of modern football there was also a nice proposal ready for the striker with both Portuguese and Dutch nationality.
Because of the future prospects in Amsterdam, the striker decided to choose Ajax. Especially because he hopes to grow quickly in professional football at Jong Ajax. Ajax was in a hurry to make the transfer. The deadline for the UEFA Youth League had almost expired and the Amsterdam team wanted to register the striker, who scored fourteen times in twelve matches, for it. When Da Silva passed the medical examination on Tuesday, those formalities were immediately arranged.
In principle, Da Silva has been signed for Young Ajax, but given his age, he still has time to mature in the Under 19s. The striker did not want to leave NEC empty-handed. The Nijmegen club ensured that he was classified as a professional by the KNVB, which means that the club also receives a solidarity contribution instead of just a training allowance. In addition, NEC has also stipulated a resale percentage. If Da Silva ever leaves Ajax for a nice amount, the people of Nijmegen will still get a share of the pie. That was an important requirement from the player and his entourage.
