Ajax receive an immediate response from Yves Bissouma (30)

Ajax hope to bring Yves Bissouma to Amsterdam, De Telegraaf reports. According to Mike Verweij, there is strong competition from Europe's top five leagues, but the club still believe they can sign the 30-year-old midfielder for one season with an option for another year.

Bissouma is a free agent after his contract with Tottenham Hotspur expired this summer. That means Ajax can still strike a deal with the 46-cap Mali international even though the transfer window has closed.

According to sources close to Bissouma, technical director Jordi Cruijff wants to pull off a coup by bringing him in. The midfielder offers plenty of experience, having spent eight seasons in the Premier League and, before that, two years in Ligue 1.

At the age of 18, Bissouma left Real Bamako in Mali and joined Lille OSC, where he initially played for the second team. After breaking through in France, Brighton & Hove Albion paid almost €17 million for him in 2018, before Tottenham shelled out almost €30 million four years later.

During his time at Spurs, Bissouma made 111 appearances before his contract expired. The Malian is known for his engine and strength in the tackle, and he can play both as a number six and a number eight.

This summer, Ajax overhauled their squad with a host of new signings, including Marcos Leonardo, Caio Henrique, Viktor Tsygankov, Thilo Kehrer and Marc-André ter Stegen. Cruijff previously defended that approach to NOS: "You do not win any titles for four seasons in a row. If you then do the same thing, it does not get any better. Then you have to look for solutions and try to be creative."

Bissouma's possible arrival also fits Ajax's desire, according to the report, to compete on three fronts with a deep squad. Cruijff wants to challenge in the Eredivisie, the TOTO KNVB Cup and the Conference League.