Fulham, Ajax agree €21m Bassey deal

<p>Premier League club, Fulham have reached an agreement with Ajax to sign defender Calvin Bassey for a fee in the region of €21m.</p>, <p>This is after the Cottagers had seen a £15m offer for Bassey rejected by the Dutch club.</p>, <p>But the clubs have now settled on an increased sum plus a sell-on fee.</p>, <p>The deal remains subject to personal terms being agreed.</p>, <p>Speaking on Bassey’s future Ajax manager, Maurice Steijn told Dutch daily, Telegraaf, “I told Calvin Bassey it would be better to leave Ajax.</p>, <p>“Also because of the money. When he leaves — we can strengthen the squad properly. I have told him this honestly.”</p>, <p>Bassey, who has four years left on his current contract, had also attracted interest from Brighton.</p>, <p>He joined Ajax last summer after two years at Rangers, where he made 65 appearances in total, winning the league title in 2021 and the Scottish Cup the following year.</p>, <p>Since joining the Dutch side, he has made 39 appearances, scoring one goal and providing five assists.</p>, <p>Bassey, who came through the youth academy at Leicester City, made his Nigeria debut in March 2022 and has gone on to make made 10 appearances for his country.</p>, <p>The Athletic previously reported that Fulham are looking to strengthen several positions in their squad this summer and have shown interest in Leicester City defender Timothy Castagne.</p>, <p>The London club have also had a bid rejected for Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi and could return with a fresh bid again for the 22-year-old.</p>