De Jong aiming for dream Ajax farewell

Frenkie de Jong has eyes on a glorious treble to bring down the curtain on his Ajax career. 

Netherlands midfielder De Jong will join Barcelona in a €75million switch, although that huge move being on the horizon has done little to disrupt his or Ajax’s rhythm. 

Erik ten Hag’s side have seen off Real Madrid and Juventus to storm into the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they take on Tottenham in London in the first leg on Tuesday. 

The battle for the Eredivisie is set to go to the wire, where Ajax top the table but are level on points with PSV with two rounds of fixtures remaining, while De Jong’s boyhood club Willem II await in the KNVB Beker final. 

Asked for his best memory at Ajax in an interview with the club’s official podcast, De Jong replied: “Hopefully it’s yet to come – when we win the next six games, we win the treble. It could be. 

“We made it this far in the Champions League for a reason. In the Eredivisie we’re on top and we’re in the cup final. I’m not sure we’ll win all prizes, but it sure is possible.” 

Despite accounting for a pair of European heavyweights in the previous round, Tottenham’s Premier League pedigree means De Jong does not believe he and his team-mates can be considered favourites in the semi-final. 

Arrived @Schiphol! 

Frenkie de Jong -> 
Matthijs de Ligt -> #UCL #totaja pic.twitter.com/vXkIR6BR3C

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) April 29, 2019

“I don’t think we are the favourites. They play in the Premier League and do it very well,” the 21-year-old said.  

“On paper we aren’t better than them, but also not much worse. It doesn’t matter who’s the favourite, as long as we make it to the next round.” 

As Barcelona prepare to take on Liverpool in this week’s second semi-final, De Jong knows his final game for Ajax could be a dream encounter against his future employers. 

 “I’ll go there with a lot of enthusiasm,” he said of the Barcelona transfer. “I’m very excited and have to make sure that I train well and play well. Hopefully I quickly become a first-XI player.”