Yann Sommer joins Ajax shortlist as Cruyff weighs veteran options
Ajax have put yann sommer on a shortlist of experienced goalkeepers as Jordi Cruyff looks to rebuild the squad after a fifth-place Eredivisie finish. Sommer is one of three names under consideration, with Ajax trying to match a veteran profile to a budget that is still far below Barcelona’s wage scale.
Cruyff’s Ajax goalkeeper search
Cruyff became Ajax’s technical director in early February and has moved quickly to address the position. The shortlist also includes Bayer Leverkusen’s Mark Flekken and Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen, but Sommer stands out because his Inter Milan contract expires in June.
That gives Ajax a potential opening on cost. The 34-year-old has 44 caps for Switzerland, and his contract situation is the cleanest of the three targets listed as the club searches for an experienced option who can fit its structure.
Ajax’s wage gap
The money around ter Stegen shows the scale of the challenge. He earns around €16–18 million gross per year at Barcelona, while Ajax’s current top earner is striker Kasper Dolberg on around €3.5 million per year.
Ajax have spent four years without a league title and finished last term 28 points behind champions PSV Eindhoven. They also lost 0-6 to AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Cup round of 16 and finished 32nd in the Champions League group stage, missing the knockout phase entirely.
Michel and Ajax’s rebuild
The club has at least secured European football for next season through the Conference League play-offs, but the rebuilding job remains clear after a season that exposed the gap between Ajax and the top of the Eredivisie. Michel was officially presented as manager on Tuesday, and the goalkeeper search is one of the first major decisions of the new football structure.
Sommer’s profile fits the immediate brief better than a long-term project: Ajax need a steady presence behind a squad that is still being reworked, and they need one at a price that does not blow past their current hierarchy. If Cruyff wants experience without turning the goalkeeper spot into a financial exception, Sommer is the most workable name on the list.
