Off the wire
• U.S. dollar rallies on rate-hike expectation  • Oil prices decline on stronger greenback  • UN calls on improving living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon  • Feature: Merkel opens Germany's 17th Confucius Institute  • Rooney to retire from England after 2018 World Cup  • U.S. stocks tick down amid rate hike concerns  • U.S. Agriculture Department closes six offices after threats  • China's Sichuan province promotes tourism in Denmark  • Albanian parliament passes vetting law, judges, prosecutors to undergo scanning  • GOP nominee Donald Trump pledges border wall amid speculation on softening immigration stance  
You are here: 　 Home

Ajax sign Twente midfielder Ziyech for 11 million euros

Xinhua, August 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Ajax attracted midfielder Hakim Ziyech from FC Twente, the Amsterdam based club announced on Tuesday.

The transfer fee for the 23-year-old Moroccan international is 11 million euros (12.25 million U.S. dollars), which makes him the second most expensive player moving from one Dutch club to another ever. In 2008 Ajax paid 16.25 million euros for Miralem Sulejmani from sc Heerenveen.

Ziyech signed a five-year contract until mid-2021. Premier League sides Swansea City and Burnley, Fenerbahce from Turkey and Anderlecht from Belgium were also interested in signing Ziyech.

The deal is remarkable, because 11 days ago Ajax technical director Marc Overmars had declared that his club would not try to lure Ziyech to Amsterdam. After an exit in the play-offs for the Champions League and a disappointing start of the Dutch league his opinion has apparently changed.

Ziyech was born on March 19, 1993 in Dronten in the province of Flevoland, from parents of Moroccan descent. He started his professional career at sc Heerenveen and moved to FC Twente in 2014.

Over the last two seasons Ziyech developed himself into one of the best players of the Dutch league, scoring 30 goals and producing 27 assists in 68 league matches.

With the Dutch transfer window closing on August 31 Ajax are probably ready on the transfer market now. Earlier this transfer window Ajax also signed Davinson Sánchez (Atletico Nacional), Mateo Cassierra (Deportivo Cali), Bertrand Traore (Chelsea, on loan), Heiko Westermann (Real Betis) and Tim Krul (Newcastle United).

After finishing second with coach Frank de Boer, who left for Italian giants Internazionale last season, Ajax aims for the championship this season with new coach Peter Bosz.

Feyenoord, which attracted Brad Jones (NEC), Nicolai Jorgensen (FC Kopenhagen) and Steven Berghuis (Watford, on loan) this summer, and PSV, which brought in Bart Ramselaar (FC Utrecht), Daniel Schwaab (VfB Stuttgart), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City, on loan) and Siem de Jong (Newcastle United, on loan) are the main other competitors for the Dutch title.

After four rounds Feyenoord lead the table in the 2016/2017 Eredivisie season with 12 points, ahead of reigning champions PSV (10) and ADO Den Haag (10). Ajax are fourth with 7 points. Endit