Ajax hero Donny van de Beek was Bergkamp’s protege and is set to spark £55m Premier League transfer scramble after downing Spurs

ARSENAL legend Dennis Bergkamp may have come back to haunt Spurs through his protege Donny van de Beek. The young Dutch superstar scored the only goal of the game as Ajax put one foot in the Champions League final against Tottenham on Tuesday. Bergkamp, 49, was working as a youth coach at Ajax when he […]

ARSENAL legend Dennis Bergkamp may have come back to haunt Spurs through his protege Donny van de Beek.

The young Dutch superstar scored the only goal of the game as Ajax put one foot in the Champions League final against Tottenham on Tuesday.

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Bergkamp, 49, was working as a youth coach at Ajax when he first became aware of Van de Beek’s potential.

He took him under his wing at the age of ten and 12 years later the midfielder is now on the radar of most top European clubs.

Former Ajax boss Frank de Boer, who promoted Bergkamp as his assistant, once said: “Dennis started talking enthusiastically about a talent in his youth team.

“It was a boy who reminded Dennis of himself at that age. That was the signal for me to keep an eye on that guy. That was Donny.”

Ajax have a rich history of developing some of the world’s best players before flogging them for huge fees.

And Van de Beek is no different.

Valued at around £55m, a host of European clubs are bound to begin a bidding war when the transfer window opens in the summer.

One of those is Paris Saint-Germain who are one of a few clubs who have the financial muscle to lure him from Holland.

A handful of Premier League sides will also be able to afford him should Ajax decide to cash in.

The Dutch league leaders are already braced to lose both Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona.

But Manchester United have not given up hope and will aim to make a late bid alongside Juventus, Liverpool and Real Madrid. 

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