Exclusive: Roma sets its sights on the ‘New Rijkaard’
Calciomercato.com has exclusively learned that sporting director Monchi has pin-pointed De Jong for the future of the Giallorossi.
Aged only 20, the central midfielder can also play as a centre-back when needed. The Spanish football executive sees him as a potential replacement for the aging Daniele De Rossi, who’s seen his productivity decline rapidly over the past two seasons.
The Dutchman already has five Under-21 caps for his country, and is under contract with Ajax until June 2022, but local reports suggest he’ll be leaving the club over the summer.
De Jong is a creative player for the Dutch giants, providing eight assists in 20 Eredivisie games this season.
Monchi has a knack for finding “diamonds in the rough” from his days in charge at Sevilla. Roma fans are hoping de Jong will be another, in a long line of successes to his CV; which appears to be adding Cengiz Under.