Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb reportedly reach an agreement for the transfer of Josip Šutalo
Josip Šutalo is set to join Ajax after Dinamo Zagreb accepted their final offer, AD reported on Wednesday afternoon.
The 23-year-old Croatian defender is considered the successor to Jurriën Timber, who moved to Arsenal. Despite initial difficulties in negotiations, Ajax reportedly secured Šutalo with a 20 million euros transfer fee. This comes as Dinamo Zagreb is also finalizing the sale of Luka Ivanusec to Feyenoord.
According to Voetbal International, Šutalo is set to sign a contract for five seasons. However, before that happens, Dinamo Zagreb insists he plays the next two European matches against AEK Athens. Following those games, Šutalo will travel to Amsterdam to finalize the transfer.
The Croatian international has earned eight caps for his country and participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ajax has been criticized for their slow activity in the transfer market, especially after the departures of Dusan Tadic to Turkish club Fenerbahçe, Jurriën Timber to Arsenal, and Calvin Bassey to Fulham. On Tuesday, Ajax reportedly reached an agreement with West Ham United to transfer its defender Edson Álvarez.
Ajax will start the Eredivisie season on Saturday with a home game against the newly-promoted Heracles Almelo. The new Ajax coach Maurice Steijn has only one experienced center defender, 17-year-old Jorrel Hato.
