Man United target Brian Brobbey confirms he will stay in Amsterdam in January but opens the door to a summer move... as Ajax boss John van 't Schip claims it will take 'insane money' for the striker to be sold

Brobbey has scored 15 goals for Ajax this season despite their ongoing strugglesMan United boss Erik ten Hag gave Brobbey his debut when manager of AjaxFrom Kevin Keegan to Arsene Wenger... IAN LADYMAN picks his top five managerial meltdowns on It's All Kicking Off 

Manchester United target Brian Brobbey has played down reports of a move to Old Trafford by confirming his intention to stay at Ajax in the January transfer window.

Sky Sports Germany had reported that Man United boss Erik ten Hag has targeted a move for Brobbey this month.

The Dutch international had also reportedly been on the Premier League giant’s shortlist last summer.

Brobbey was asked about the links to Man United following Ajax’s 4-1 win over RKC Waalwijk, where the 21-year-old scored the team’s first two goals.

‘I saw it on the news but I will stay in Amsterdam,’ Brobbey said, as reported by Voetbalzone.

Ajax striker Brian Brobbey has been linked with a January transfer to Manchester United

Brobbey has impressed this season by scoring 15 goals despite Ajax’s continued struggles

The forward insisted he will remain at Ajax in January when quizzed on links to Man United

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‘I have no contact with Erik [Ten Hag].

‘We used to text through WhatsApp, but I think Erik is busy. I have a new number as well.’

He added: ‘Would they be allowed to come back in the summer? Haha, who knows.’

Brobbey has scored 15 goals in 26 matches for Ajax this season in all competitions, with 11 coming in 17 league games despite the Dutch giants’ struggles.

The goalscoring form had led to Brobbey being handed his debut for the Dutch national team back in October.

Ajax manager John van ‘t Schip also poured cold water on suggestions Brobbey could leave the club.

Van ‘t Schip claimed ‘insane amounts of money’ would be required for Ajax to sanction his sale.

‘As far as I’m concerned, he’s not for sale,’ he said in a post-match press conference.

‘So yes, I hang that around his neck. It wouldn’t be useful if he left now. But who am I to say that?

‘We try to keep the group as strong as possible. Then Brobbey is a very important player in that.

Ajax manager John van ‘t Schip claimed it will take ‘insane money’ for Brobbey to be sold

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag had handed Brobbey his Ajax debut back in 2020

‘I don’t decide whether he leaves, but insane amounts of money will be needed.’

Brobbey had been handed his Ajax debut by Ten Hag in 2020 and later joined German side RB Leipzig at the end of his contract in the summer of 2021.

He returned to Ajax on an initial loan after struggling to break into the RB Leipzig side before signing on a permanent basis.

Brobbey had turned down a move to Old Trafford in 2022 to rejoin Ajax, despite receiving a personal phone call from Ten Hag to try and persuade him.

Speaking to De Telegraaf, the player said, ‘Erik ten Hag called me and said that at United, my agent would get millions of euros and I could earn a multiple of my Ajax salary. But our decision was clear: we wanted to go to Ajax.

‘Manchester United wanted to have me, but I insisted on returning to Ajax. To make that possible, my agent Jose Fortes Rodriguez even waived a hefty percentage of the sell-on clause.’

The youngster became the third-youngest player to score 30 Eredivisie goals for Ajax after Rafael van der Vaart and Kasper Dolberg when he netted against PEC Zwolle in December 2023.

Ten Hag’s history of bringing in former Ajax players to United has been met with varying success.

Lisandro Martinez has been superb at the back, despite a number of injuries, but Antony and Andre Onana have both struggled for form and consistency.