Frenkie De Jong will join Barcelona in the summer of 2019 after signing with the Catalans that will take effect at the end of the season but it could have been all so different for the Dutchman.
In the summer of 2018, he was heavily linked with Tottenham Hotspur, and could have left Amsterdam for north London.
Rather than making the move to the Premier League, he stayed on in the Netherlands to help steer Ajax into the semi-finals of the Champions League.
He will come up against Spurs in the last four of the competition after helping the the four-time European champions to progress through the competition at the expense of heavyweights Real Madrid and Juventus.
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A versatile player capable of lining up as a centre-back, holding midfielder or in central midfield, he has scored three goals and set up three assists in the Dutch topflight this season.
Spurs are in need of a player with his range of abilities following the departure of Mousa Dembele in the January transfer window and while De Jong would have had the passing and dribbling ability to step into the Belgian's shoes, he decided against making the leap.
"I was also injured in that period, so I was thinking, 'not yet'," he told FourFourTwo .
"I felt I should stay for another year at Ajax, or perhaps longer."
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However, De Jong did appreciate the interest from Spurs and was excited by the prospect of working at Hotspur Way alongside Dele Alli and Harry Kane.
"I considered their offer long and hard," he said. "I see Tottenham as a very stable club, and they are only getting better.
"They give young players a chance and I see Mauricio Pochettino as a manager who really improves young players.
"I like the kind of football they are playing. I think it would have suited my game."
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Spurs face Ajax in the first leg of their Champions League tie at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium on April 30.
The north Londoners will need to hope that they can take a commanding lead into the concluding fixture in Amsterdam.
The Dutch side have already shown that they excel at fighting their way back into games against elite opposition after beating Real and Juventus in the previous rounds.
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