Ajax Set to Part Ways with Young Belgian Talent Rayane Bounida

Towards the end of Rayane Bounida’s adventure at Ajax? The Dutch club, which had invested nearly a million euros to recruit the young talent, finds itself forced to let the 18-year-old player go, whose contract expires in June. And for good reason, Ajax is not financially in the best shape to meet the high demands of the family (the player being notably represented by his brother) of the virtuoso. The negotiations led by the head of youth recruitment, Casimir Westerveld, and then the technical director Alex Kroes with Rayane’s family did not lead to an agreement.

"At Ajax, you earn X. Now I can say: ’You will receive 0.5 X and you can earn 0.3 X extra. For that, we have to qualify for the Champions League and you have to play all the matches. Otherwise, it will remain at 0.5 X. And I really want you to come or stay. Because we are a springboard and you play every home game in front of 55,000 supporters.’ This obviously makes the work difficult. But reducing costs is a necessity," Kroes explained in a year-end interview with Parool. To try to keep the former Anderlecht star, the technical director made an additional financial effort. In parallel, the striker was definitively integrated into Jong Ajax.

He was also offered a guaranteed place in the squad for the preparation of the new season. Insufficient efforts in the eyes of the player’s family, who demands a salary equivalent to that of a starter in the first team within the new financial framework of Kroes, as well as immediate training time with the first team. While the Dutch club tries to reassure the family that these demands would be met over time if it followed Ajax’s plan, it says no. Ajax is not ready to give in either. Rayane’s future is thus in limbo.