{"id":10880,"date":"2026-04-24T10:15:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/10880\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T10:15:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T10:15:08","slug":"jordi-cruyff-plots-barcelona-raid-to-strengthen-ajax-several-players-on-the-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/10880\/","title":{"rendered":"Jordi Cruyff plots Barcelona raid to strengthen Ajax &#8211; several players on the agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>AFC Ajax are already deep into planning as they look to revive their sporting project after a disappointing season, with the aim of returning to European competition.<\/p>\n<p>And, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sport.es\/es\/noticias\/barca\/jordi-cruyff-busca-pescar-barca-129467795\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">SPORT<\/a>, Ajax\u2019s new sporting director, Jordi Cruyff, intends to strengthen the squad with the help of FC Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the former Blaugrana director is exploring both permanent transfers and loan deals involving players who may not feature in the first team or could leave from the reserve side.<\/p>\n<p>Inaki Pena a candidate<\/p>\n<p>In the Netherlands, there is a clear belief that Cruyff\u2019s strong relationship with Barcelona will be key in fostering collaboration between the clubs \u2013 with the Dutch side already in talks to <a href=\"https:\/\/barcauniversal.com\/barcelona-set-to-face-ajax-in-the-2026-joan-gamper-trophy-match\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">face the Catalans in the Joan Gamper Trophy this year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Ajax could provide an ideal environment for young Barcelona players to develop after their time in the reserve team, as well as for first-team players who are unlikely to remain.<\/p>\n<p>As per the report, several names are under consideration, and in particular, the possibility of goalkeeper Inaki Pena, currently on loan at Elche, joining stands out as a deal that could benefit all parties.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/levante-ud-v-elche-cf-laliga-ea-sports-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Inaki Pena of Elche CF\" class=\"wp-image-197855\"  \/>Inaki Pena is on Ajax\u2019s radar. (Photo by David Ramos\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>The La Masia graduate is seen as a realistic option following a difficult year in goal for the Dutch giants.<\/p>\n<p>One of the club\u2019s major ambitions would be Marc Casado, although his valuation makes a transfer highly unlikely.<\/p>\n<p>Another player considered out of reach is Roony Bardghji. The Swedish winger is expected to leave Barcelona this summer in search of more playing time. <\/p>\n<p>In this case, the player will decide his future, and it appears he may prioritise either remaining in Spain or joining a Champions League club.<\/p>\n<p>Academy talents on Cruyff\u2019s radar<\/p>\n<p>Ajax are particularly interested in recruiting from the academy. Jordi Cruyff is very familiar with players developed at La Masia, and there is a clear preference in this regard: winger Shane Kluivert. <\/p>\n<p>Barcelona believe he could take a step forward in the Netherlands and adapt well, although it remains to be seen whether he will leave on loan this summer or be retained.<\/p>\n<p>Jofre Torrents and Guille Fernandez are two other players who could also be on Ajax\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AFC Ajax are already deep into planning as they look to revive their sporting project after a disappointing&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10881,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[6425,92,222,223,4832,6731],"class_list":{"0":"post-10880","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-barcelona","8":"tag-ajax","9":"tag-barcelona","10":"tag-barcelona-news","11":"tag-fc-barcelona","12":"tag-inaki-pena","13":"tag-jordi-cruyff"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}