Frenkie says “relax” — Ajax reportedly reject £44m Tottenham bid for De Jong

Hey look, it’s our old friends Mundo Deportivo back with another transfer rumor regarding Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong! Just days after reporting that Spurs are extremely interested in signing Frenkie, the same Spanish paper says that Spurs had a £44m bid rejected for De Jong recently.

It’d be unusual for a Spanish sports paper to have any particularly interesting information regarding a Dutch midfielder and a London football club, but De Jong is also closely linked to Barcelona, so I guess it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Ajax has reportedly said he’s not for sale, which is patently false because Ajax eventually sells all their best talent. He’s just probably not for sale NOW.

With Spurs whiffing this summer, it would make sense that they might try and pull a Naby Keita-style signing outside of the window where the deal wouldn’t go through until January or the summer. That’d make sense, especially if it’s for a player that Spurs are pretty sure will go in the next window(s) and that that they really want. Frenkie would fit both categories, and Mundo Deportivo seems to think that’s why Spurs are working to nail down a deal sooner rather than later, it’s probably going to take at least £50m to land him and it becomes less likely when the window is actually open and Manchester City or Barca can blow everyone out of the water.

Still, do I believe this rumor? No. I’ve been around the block too many times not to be super skeptical. Do I want to believe it? You bet your ass. It’s a dumb source and a not especially great rumor, but in an international week with slow news, I’ll take whatever hope I can get.