Ajax and Monaco are chasing 18-year-old attacking midfielder Gustavo, who already plays senior football in Brazil.
Ajax and Monaco are in dialogue about Gustavo signature
Club representatives are ready to accept €2 million for their talented youngster, who may be set to move in May. His situation is also monitored by Portuguese league leaders Sporting CP and several MLS clubs. However, Ajax and Monaco are said to be in active dialogue about cementing Gustavo’s signature and appealing to options because of their reputation for developing young talent.
Who is Gustavo
The young player was born in Presidente Dutra in 2003 to a bricklayer father, Creone Gomes de Oliveira, who inspired him to become a football player. At 14, Gustavo was allegedly rejected by the local giants Palmeiras, but went on to pursue a glittering youth career. He is represented by former Brazilian striker Bebeto together with his business partner Antonio Goveia. His current contract at Recife expires in December 2025.
About Ajax and Monaco’s desire
Monaco’s appeal includes being in a club that has networks throughout Europe for loan players, along with a sister club in Belgium, Cercle Brugge. Even on the senior side of the Ligue 1 team, they strive to maintain the average age of the team in order to develop players before selling them to larger clubs in the future. Likewise, Ajax have a reputation for developing young talent and boast that their reserve team, Jong Ajax, plays in the division below Eredivisie. They are reportedly looking at a ton of talent from Brazil ahead of the upcoming transfer window, with Red Bull midfielder Bragantino Claudinho being mentioned as a target for the Amsterdam club in February. After Andre Onana was suspended, Santos goalkeeper Joao Paulo was also tied. However, interest in both Brazilian players was won back by Ajax’s director of football, Marc Overmars.
Ajax prepares for the KNVB Cup final against Vitesse this week and remains in the Europa League. They are also likely to win the Netherlands title again, holding an 11-point lead over the table at the moment. Monaco, meanwhile, remains in the title race in France and will at least be glad the European spots are coming to an end of the season. They also have a quarterfinal cup clash against Lyon.