‘Liverpool, Tottenham moved to take’ player from Ajax this summer, agent reveals | OneFootball

Liverpool and Tottenham failed to convince Perr Schuurs to join from Ajax before his summer transfer to Torino, according to Italian agent George Gardi.

Schuurs had impressed for the Dutch champions, earning himself an £8million move to Italian club Torino in August.

The 22-year-old has made three appearances for his new club after failing to complete the full 90 minutes in three games for Ajax this term.

He made 95 appearances for Ajax and had attracted plenty of interest from elsewhere.

Italian agent George Gardi worked as an intermediary during negotiations over Schuurs’ move to Torino.

Gardi has opened up on the young defender’s move to Italy, revealing that French champions Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Tottenham had tried to sign him.

Discussing the first contact he had with Torino sporting director, Davide Vagnati, Gardi told Tuttosport: “He seemed crazy to me. The first time the director expressed Torino’s willingness to take Perr it seems to me we were faced with something unthinkable to materialise.”

He continued: “Over the time, clubs of the calibre of Tottenham, Liverpool or PSG had moved to take the player.

“The operation, as I told you, was long, but fair and in some passages even pleasant. In addition to Liverpool, Tottenham, PSG and three Italian clubs also wanted Schuurs.

“However, having taken a path, we went on to follow it without delay, even with a strong conviction: thanks to Torino, I am sure Schuurs can become a pillar of the Dutch national team.

“Now he is part of the tour, but the ambition is to be a protagonist.

“At one point it was decisive, because Ajax resisted, but then decided to please the player who had asked for the sale. Without the precise intention expressed by Perr, Vagnati’s idea would have remained as such.

“Instead, we managed to give life to an idea that, when it was presented to me, really seemed to me to be on the verge of impossible.

“We have exceeded these limits, and now Schuurs is enjoying Torino, as much as I hope that the club and the fans can enjoy ever better performances from Perr.”

Liverpool were not in dire need of defensive recruits in the summer transfer window.

Jurgen Klopp already has Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez to choose from when it comes to central defenders in his squad.

However, £8m for a defender of Schuurs’ quality is a very good deal.

Spurs, on the other hand, signed Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona pretty early on in the transfer window.

Cristian Romero also made his move from Atalanta permanent, which was an inevitable deal.

Following the signing of Lenglet, it is likely that Antonio Conte’s side pulled out of negotiations to sign Schuurs.