Ajax eye Serie A midfielder Mandragora as seasoned number six

Ajax have set their sights on Serie A defensive midfielder Rolando Mandragora, 29, after transfer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reported the Dutch club’s interest, marking a potential solution to the Amsterdammers’ search for a new number six before the September deadline.

Míchel Sánchez and Jordi Cruijff have both confirmed they still want to add a number six to the Ajax roster, a vacancy that lingered after the 17‑year‑old Abdoulaye Camara, a Udinese prospect, was assigned to Jong Ajax, leaving the Amsterdamse midfield axis open for the Amsterdammers.

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Genoa are also monitoring the 29‑year‑old defensive midfielder, with Gianluca Di Marzio confirming the Italian side’s attention, while the exact level of Ajax’s commitment remains unclear.

Mandragora is currently featuring in Italy’s Serie A for Fiorentina, giving him experience at a top‑flight level.

Mandragora’s profile and price

Standing 1.83 metres tall and left‑footed, the midfielder joined Fiorentina in mid‑2022 after the club paid €8.2 million to Juventus for his services. Prior to that move he was a Juventus player.

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The Italian international has earned a single cap for Italy and has amassed 189 appearances for Fiorentina, while his contract runs for two more years with the club retaining an option to extend the deal.

Transfermarkt values the midfielder at roughly €9 million, and Ajax consider him an experienced option who could slot straight into the side’s midfield without a period of adaptation. He is described as a playmaker in the midfield.

Ajax must decide in the coming days whether to act on Mandragora, as the Dutch transfer window closes on 2 September at 23:59.

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Securing the Serie A midfielder would allow the Amsterdammers to fill the vacant number six before the deadline, potentially stabilising the Amsterdamse midfield axis for the upcoming season.