Denmark midfielder Schøne to shine at Ajax

Danish international Lasse Schøne will join AFC Ajax on a three-year deal after his contract at NEC Nijmegen expires in the summer.

The 25-year-old will join fellow Danes Nicolai Boilesen, Christian Eriksen and Viktor Fischer at Ajax, where countrymen Frank Arnesen, Søren Lerby, Jesper Olsen and brothers Brian and Michael Laudrup once enjoyed success. "It is a nice line of players I will become part of, if you look back at all the great Danes that played here," said Schøne, who will be the club's 21st Danish signing. "Now I will be playing for the same club as Michael Laudrup did. I modelled myself on him."

Schooled at Lyngby BK, midfielder Schøne came to the Netherlands at the age of 16 to play for sc Heerenveen, later representing De Graafschap and then NEC. Capped nine times in total, he played in two UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers and could be in line to meet up with more of his future team-mates at the finals, where Denmark take on the Netherlands in their opening Group B game on 9 June. Schøne's contract at Ajax will officially begin on 1 July.