Ajax sign teenage promise Kik Pierie as De Ligt replacement
After beating Real Madrid and Juventus en route to the Champions League semi-finals, Ajax are planning for next season and have signed 18-year-old defender Kik Pierie.
There's not much to stop Ajax right now. After eliminating the defending European champions, Real Madrid and then Juventus on their way to the Champions League semi-finals, the Dutch club is already busy shaping their squad for next season.
Matthijs de Ligt's imminent departure has left Ajax looking for a replacement for their captain. Today, they closed a deal with 18-year-old North American-born defender Kik Pierie, who joins on a four-year deal from Heerenveen. Ajax are believed to have closed the transfer for four million euros.
Piere was born in Boston but having Dutch parents, he is a youth international with the Netherlands, starring for the Under-15s through to the Under-19s. Holland, his second country, is where he has practically lived his whole life and where he began his football career with LAC Friesland 1883. In 2011 he joined Heerenveen, making his first team debut in 2017.
Born in Boston by chance
Piere's parents moved back to Europe when he was just a few months old and it was back in Holland where the young Pierie started his career. Even though he already played with the Netherlands national team at youth level, he is still eligible to represent the United States if he decides to as long as he doesn't appear for the senior side.