The Story Behind How Ajax Bought Frenkie De Jong For Just €1 In 'Bargain Of The Decade'

There's genuinely a case to be had for Frenkie De Jong being the 'bargain of the decade'.

The Ajax sensation will be joining Barcelona from 1st July 2019, after signing a contract for the next five seasons, through to 2023/24.

The transfer will cost Barca an initial £65 million and it represents a monumental profit for Ajax, who are the masters of selling players on for high fees after signing them on the cheap and producing the talent themselves.

But the deal they struck to sign De Jong in 2015 is next level. Incredibly, the Amsterdam sniped him from Willem II for just €1 as well as some players moving on loan in the opposite direction.

A 10% sell-on clause was also inserted in the four-year contract he signed but essentially Ajax signed him for the cost of a locker during a trip to a Spanish water park.

Compare that with the €330 million value of the Juventus' side that De Jong and his teammates beat at the Allianz Stadium and it will boggle your mind.

Image: PA

Willem II, who are eighth in the Eredivisie, also had Virgil van Dijk in their youth academy many moons ago. They have therefore played a key part in the development of the two most expensive Dutch players in history and deserve a good old pat on the back.

De Jong has been sensational in Ajax's run to the Champions League semi-finals, churning in composed displays beyond his years in tricky second leg ties in Madrid and Turin.

He's shown already that he's more than capable of playing for Barcelona, who he could well end up coming up against in the final in the Champions League on June 1 if all goes well.

The 21-year old will become the 20th Dutch player to play for Barcelona and it's well-documented that Nike's relationship with the club, which has existed since 1998, was a key factor in De Jong making the switch.

The classy midfielder is a "Nike athlete" and according to ESPN, the American sportswear giant are to cover a "large amount" of his wages during his time at the Nou Camp.

Sources told ESPN that Nike are not paying anything towards the transfer fee but are contributing "very important amount of money" in other ways.

Topics: Football News, FC Barcelona, Football, Ajax, Netherlands, Juventus, Champions League, Frenkie De Jong, Real Madrid

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

@https://twitter.com/JoshLawless_