Ajax make Modric move

Dutch giants eye Croatian starlet

Ajax are set to step up their bid to sign Croatian starlet Luka Modric.

The 22-year-old, who is also believed to be interesting Chelsea and Arsenal, is one of the hottest properties in Europe.

Dinamo Zagreb are now bracing themselves for a bid and Ajax are reportedly readying a 15million euro offer to land him.

It is claimed that Ajax's sporting director Martin van Geel has made the trip to Croatia to open negotiations.

Dinamo have refused to comment on the most recent reports, although they have previously stated they want to keep him until the end of the season.


Please God let this be true, Ajax needs a player to finally replace Sneijder plus Ajax are also interested in CSKA Moscow player Milos Krasic.

zagreb lost 0:2 to hsv tonight

modric was average

He was good against Ajax when they played this year plus he is young , Ajax cant compete against Arsenal or Chelsea if these teams want him, so i just hope if there's any possible transfer they have to convince him for the next few years he can establish himself at the club and then move to England.

HSV have Van der Vaart and we know who created him

german match commentator spokes 10000 times about modric and that he will leave the club to join a top club

Which clubs were mentioned, Arsenal and Chelsea ?? Bayern were interested in him before, are they still ?

no names, he spokes only from top clubs

about the bayern interest, i dont know

So he said "top clubs" well that does not narrow it down, still we know which clubs have shown interest.

Ajax: It’s Luka Modric Or Aissati – Again

Ajax may have cashed in on as much as 27 million euros when they sold Wes Sneijder to Real Madrid, on August 12, but the gap the international playmaker has left behind him has yet to be filled. That’s why the Amsterdam giants are preparing another move for either Luka Modric or Ismail Aissati.

According to the Croatian Vecernji List Soren Lerby, a former Ajax legend and now a players’ agent, has made the trip to Zagreb to hold talks with Dinamo executive vice-president Zdravko Mamic concerning a possible 15-million-euros Modric move to the Johan Cruyff Schaal and KNVB Beker holders in January.

Stiff competition

The Dutch had already expressed their interest in signing the highly rated 22-year-old last summer, but he was deemed too expensive. Since then, however, Modric helped Dinamo knock Ajax out of the UEFA Cup, scoring a penalty in his side’s impressive 3-2 victory at the “Arena”. Being also a key member of the national team, who have qualified for the UEFA European Championship finals, he has raised his market value to a sky-high 27.7 million euros!

Ajax know all too well that they’re not the only ones seeking to buy the talented playmaker. Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Werder, Manchester City, Juventus Turin and Milan are allegedly all interested, while back on July 19 The Daily Telegraph reported that Arsenal had won the right of first refusal.

The Aissati alternative

That’s why Ajax have not forgotten about Aissati either. It was only last Thursday that PSV Eindhoven’s managing director Jan Reker officially announced that his club had “no intention whatsoever to sell him”. But today the matter re-surfaced.

“We think he’s a very interesting player. He’s creative, inventive within closed spaces and young,” Ajax technical director Martin Van Geel told the Voetbal International magazine. “We have been interested in Aissati, he suits our style. We think that he can be Sneijder’s successor.”

The 19-year-old U-21 playmaker of Moroccan descent is committed to the Eredivisie champions until June 30, 2009, and he has provisionally opted not to extend his contract. Most importantly, he hasn’t excluded a possible move to his club’s arch-rivals, as he reportedly feels that he doesn’t get the attention he deserves at PSV Eindhoven. Last season he was loaned out to Twente and though he’s taken part in 13 games after his return he rarely plays the full 90 minutes.

Just like Modric Ajax first expressed their interest in the summer, but it’s believed that they would be able to sign him in January for five million, less than one fifth of the sum Dinamo are asking for their rising star.

Werder Bremen are not interested anymore. We wanted him as replacement for Johan Micoud 1.5 years ago, but Zagreb didn't want to sell him back then, so we decided to sign Diego instead.

christmasicross wrote:Werder Bremen are not interested anymore. We wanted him as replacement for Johan Micoud 1.5 years ago, but Zagreb didn't want to sell him back then, so we decided to sign Diego instead.

Pretty good choice tbh.

Jesus wrote:

christmasicross wrote:Werder Bremen are not interested anymore. We wanted him as replacement for Johan Micoud 1.5 years ago, but Zagreb didn't want to sell him back then, so we decided to sign Diego instead.

Pretty good choice tbh.

Yeah, indeed. I think Modric was first choice back then, because our chief scout is Croatian...

christmasicross wrote:Werder Bremen are not interested anymore. We wanted him as replacement for Johan Micoud 1.5 years ago, but Zagreb didn't want to sell him back then, so we decided to sign Diego instead.

And as they say the rest was history. The sad reality is a player like Modric can help Ajax in the sense they need a playmaker he is a kind of player who will help the team move forward, sadly I know the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea will outbid Ajax and Modric himself said he love to play in England, if he can see Ajax are 110% for him and people do forget Ajax used to be a good team in the past in Europe, rebuilding for the future and he can be a key member, but next summer Ajax will lose so many players so that could deter him, if they can keep the players for another 2 seasons and build they can be in the Champions League and bring back dignity to the team. Football in the 21st century is killing this team; Ajax needs huge investment to compete against some of the new upcoming teams.

If the Modric deal fails (which I hope not, but I’m being realistic) there’s Milos Krasic (CSKA) I doubt Aissati will be a realistic target for reasons known. You know Van der Vaart cheekily turned down a move back to Amsterdam this summer , but I hear he’s still a big fan and tells Huntleear and co when he meets up for Internationals to make sure Ajax do well.

Shame for Modric Ajax recently retired the number14 shirt, oh well i hope this is not another problem

Aissati is class. Amazed he doesn't feature more regularly for PSV.

this was news here yesterday...and today it was declared as a rumour...

I wish you luck with Modric, Rai, but I've read that Chelsea is very interested and that Roman is prepared to pay any sum for him. However, there are many such stories. When we played against Zagreb to qualifiy for the CL a few months ago, many Zagreb fans entered the Bremen board and told us how great their Modric is and that Bayern would have offered 30m Euro for him. Of course that was nonsense, and despite all the rumours over the last two years he still plays for Zagreb...so maybe the interest from the big European clubs isn't so big as Dynamo's president always tells the press...

Anyway, I've read that Ajax is interested in Yassine Chikhaoui. However, according to FC Zurich's president half of Europe want him as well, including Bayern, HSV, Leverkusen, Bremen, Juventus and Barcelona...

a Few players who Ajax are supposedly interested in: Milos Krasic (Serbian, M), Yassine Chikhaoui (Tunisian, F), Branislav Ivanovic (Serbian, D), Marko Marin (German, F)

How many teams are interested in these players, Ivanovic for example is wanted by Chelsea. If Ajax don't get Modric, Krasic is another player who plays in a similar role. Milan now looks in pole position for Marin, but he will be like Gourcuff (don't get much chances). Huntelaar is 85% chance leaving at the end of this season, Chikhaou I hear could be lined up to succeed him.

Where will Huntelaar move to then? Spain or England?

christmasicross wrote:Where will Huntelaar move to then? Spain or England?

God only knows. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona IMO are the two Spanish teams he would contemplate joining, both don’t need a Forward (from what I see, okay RVN can he do another season). England could be a likely destination, Manchester United have shown interest and they want to offload Louis ‘eight-chances’ Saha, Arsenal could be another team but they have Bendtner, Eduardo and Walcott. I wont rule out Italy, maybe Milan who wears the no9 for them these days??

Hertha Berlin showed their interest in signing Tunisian midfielder Yassine Chikhaoui when the transfer window re-opens in January.

“I coached him in Zurich and I can say that he is an excellent player,” Hertha’s coach Lucien Favre told Bild on Tuesday.

The 21-year old midfielder joined FC Zurich in 2008 from Etoile du Sahel worth 2,8 m euros.

Hertha aren’t the only side attracted by Chikhaoui’s talent as Bayern Munich, Werder Munich, Bayern Leverkusen, Hamburg, Juventus and Barcelona have also joined the chase.

FC Zurich has put a 10-million euro price tag for the Tunisian international midfielder.

I Just youtubed him he will be a very good signing for my German team(Bremen) IMHO

CruijffMas wrote:a Few players who Ajax are supposedly interested in: Milos Krasic (Serbian, M), Yassine Chikhaoui (Tunisian, F), Branislav Ivanovic (Serbian, D), Marko Marin (German, F)

How many teams are interested in these players, Ivanovic for example is wanted by Chelsea. If Ajax don't get Modric, Krasic is another player who plays in a similar role. Milan now looks in pole position for Marin, but he will be like Gourcuff (don't get much chances). Huntelaar is 85% chance leaving at the end of this season, Chikhaou I hear could be lined up to succeed him.

I think Lyon and Marseille are also on Chikhaou. Apparently he's very good.

Get Marin if you want my advice.

Dark Savante wrote:Get Marin if you want my advice.

He looks according to some reports Milan bound, if they want to sign him of course he would be interested and there's no point competing against Milan, he may not be offered first team football there and he will know it.