Arsenal in talks with ‘new Eden Hazard’ as ‘mega transfer’ teased

The agent of Ajax winger Mika Godts insists that it is “logical” that big clubs are chasing his client amid reports that Arsenal have enquired about his services.

The 20-year-old is currently hitting the headlines in the Netherlands and Belgium as he is performing exceptionally well at Ajax in what has been yet another difficult season for the Amsterdam outfit.

As a result, he has attracted interest from several top European clubs. A departure is on the horizon, agent Niels De Jonck has confided to Belgian outlet Sporza.

Arsenal, FC Barcelona and Tottenham are just a few of the clubs closely following Godts’ performances. Dutch media recently claimed that the Gunners had enquired about the youngster’s availability.

The 20-year-old winger has scored 10 goals and provided nine assists for Ajax this season. Without his productivity, the Amsterdam side, who are currently fourth, could be as low as 13th in the league.

Godts is going to the top

Despite his youth, he is already carrying the Eredivisie giants. According to De Jonck, Godts’ achievements are no coincidence. The striker’s agent says the winger works incredibly hard.

“It’s a choice every single day,” he says. “Talent opens doors, but hard work keeps them open. And Mika does that every single day – he’s the first one at the club and stays the longest on the training pitch to do extra drills. His goal is to become the best.”

This is the kind of mindset that will endear him to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. According to De Jonck, a big move is only a matter of time, even if his client was not interested in a January departure.

“Logical, given his figures,” De Jonck says of the interest from major clubs. “But leaving Ajax was absolutely out of the question [in January]. He has a major goal: to play at least 100 matches for Ajax. He wants to be part of that club, so a transfer was out of the question anyway.”

Godts currently sits on 96 appearances for Ajax, so he is bound to achieve his target in the next few weeks, paving the way for a potential summer move. Indeed, Lentin Goodijk, Ajax expert for Voetbal International, told Sporza that Godts should be Ajax’s next big-money export.

“Together with Youri Baas, Godts should be Ajax’s next mega-transfer. The financial need to sell has gone in Amsterdam, but they won’t refuse a significant amount.”

The expert’s opinion: Godts a better fit for LaLiga

Despite Godts’ evident potential, there are question marks over his suitability to the Premier League. FootballTransfers’ Ajax expert Dylan ter Laak believes that the 20-year-old could struggle with the physicality and intensity of England’s top flight and may be better suited to LaLiga.

“Mika Godts is a player who likes to dribble a lot,” Ter Laak explained. “Sometimes he dribbles a bit too long, so he ends up losing the ball. Also, he tends to go on his own a lot more than he should sometimes.

“This season, he has developed very well and started to score a lot more compared to last season. The Premier League, obviously, is known for being quite tough physically. I’m not sure whether he would be a player who could deal with that. Personally, I think LaLiga suits him better.”

Additional reporting from Milan Keskin.

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