Late Ajax withdrawal had nothing to do with PSG links, says Godts

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Mika Godts insists his late withdrawal from Ajax’s starting lineup for their Eredivisie opener was due to injury, not related to transfer talks with Paris Saint-Germain.

Godts was replaced by Abdellah Ouazane two minutes before kick-off against Zwolle at MAC3PARK Stadion, with speculation rife as to why that decision was made. 

The 21-year-old is of reported interest to PSG, with Ajax said to value their Belgian midfielder at around €60m after he impressed during the 2025-26 campaign. 

In 44 appearances across all competitions last season, Godts registered 32 goal involvements (17 goals, 15 assists), with only Troy Parrott (41) managing more among all Eredivisie players. 

Godts also ranked at the top for completed dribbles (104), while only Joey Veerman (114) and Souffian El Karouani (149) created more chances than his 97 (level with Sven Mijnans) in all competitions. 

And he made an impact off the bench on Sunday, assisting summer signing Julian Brandt for a stoppage-time goal on his debut, in a game Ajax won 2-0. 

While Godts was keen to dismiss talk of a strike or a fallout with his club, he did reveal that conversations were taking place about a potential transfer to PSG. 

“There are talks. I’m not going to say it isn’t true, because then nobody would take me seriously any more,” Godts said. 

“But above all, we need to put an end to the idea that some people might have thought I didn’t want to play.

“Until an agreement is reached, I’ll play every minute I’m called upon to play for Ajax.”

— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) August 9, 2026

Despite only coming on in the 61st minute, Godts created the joint-most chances for Ajax (four, level with Davy Klaassen) and completed the most dribbles (three). 

Godts’ six touches in the opposition box were only bettered by Ouazane’s seven, while Youri Baas (24) and Lucas Rosa (21) were the only Ajax players to play more passes into the final third than the in-demand forward (15, level with Caio Henrique and Ouazane). 

“I felt a slight niggle yesterday in training and was still feeling a little too much discomfort in my hamstrings,” Godts explained when asked about his omission. 

“If I really didn’t want to play, I wouldn’t have played in the last two matches, either.

“We need to put an end to this rumour. I love Ajax. I grew up here, and I’m happy to still be able to play for Ajax.”

Godts would further improve PSG’s star-studded forward line, with reports on Monday suggesting that Luis Enrique’s side are closing in on the signing of Barcelona’s Ferran Torres. 

The Parisiens have reportedly already had a €40m offer rejected but negotiations are ongoing, with another bid anticipated for Torres, who scored the winning goal in Spain’s World Cup triumph over Argentina this summer. 

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