Sutalo on the Brink of Sensational Transfer
Croatian national team defender has three offers, Benfica most concrete, Ajax willing to accept financial loss.
Croatian national team defender has three offers, Benfica most concrete, Ajax willing to accept financial loss.
Josip Sutalo, the Croatian national team defender, could change clubs this summer after three years at Ajax. According to reports from the Netherlands, three concrete offers have arrived for the 24-year-old, with Portugal's Benfica standing out among the interested clubs.
While Benfica's identity as one of the potential buyers has been confirmed, there is no official information about the other two clubs. Unofficially, it is known that at least one of them comes from the English Premier League, which further adds to the appeal of the deal.
Ajax, according to Dutch media, is ready to seriously negotiate the departure of the Croatian defender. The asking price has been set at approximately 15 million euros, with additional bonuses.
Recall that Sutalo arrived in Amsterdam from Dinamo in August 2023. At that time, the Dutch giants paid a fixed fee of 20.5 million euros, with the total amount potentially reaching 23.5 million euros including bonuses. He signed a five-year contract running until June 30, 2028.
If Ajax were to sell him now for the asking price of 15 million, they would record a loss of at least 5.5 million euros on the fixed fee alone. Despite this, the club is willing to take this step to free up space for a defensive rebuild and ease the budget, given Sutalo's high wages.
In Sutalo's camp, there seems to be no doubt about the outcome. "He's leaving," said a source close to the player, alluding to his future at Ajax. The Croatian defender did not start the new season with the rest of the squad due to issues following his return from the World Cup and has not yet played for the Dutch team.
His time in Amsterdam has been marked by ups and downs. After a difficult first season during a chaotic period for the club, he showed significantly better form in his second, while last season saw more fluctuations. Despite everything, he has surpassed the 100 official appearances mark for Ajax.
Now, the situation is expected to unfold, and the next steps in the career of the Croatian international will be determined.
