Oleguer to join Ajax from Barcelona
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Article summary
FC Barcelona central defender Oleguer Presas is to complete a move to UEFA Cup contenders AFC Ajax on Monday, signing a three-year contract in Amsterdam.
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Additional clause
The 28-year-old will undergo medical tests before putting pen to paper. No details have been revealed of any transfer fee changing hands, though reports suggest an initial fee of around €3m with another €2.25m in the event that Ajax compete in the UEFA Champions League in the 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons. This year, they start their European jaunt in the UEFA Cup first round.
Camp Nou achievements
Signed from UDA Gramenet in 2001, Oleguer made his Barcelona debut in a UEFA Champions League game against Galatasaray AS on 13 November 2002. He ended up scoring once in 127 league appearances for the club, and was part of the side that won two league championships and the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League, though he played an increasingly marginal role in the last two seasons.
Heitinga replacement
Oleguer will fill the gap in the Ajax defence left by John Heitinga's move to Club Atlético de Madrid. "Oleguer is eager to play football again, and is eager to do that with Ajax," explained the club's technical director Danny Blind. "A loan deal was not an option for Barcelona, and when you sign a player for a big amount of money, you do not give him a one or two-year contract."
