In an exclusive interview given to Minutidirecupero.it, the agent of AZ Alkmaar's club captain Teun Koopmeiners has spoken about his client's future, as the 22-year-old defensive midfielder is liked by Serie A giants, AC Milan, Inter, Napoli and Roma, as reported by Calciomercato.it.
On Koopmeiners' future:
“There are several months to the start of the market, we cannot say at the moment. What I can tell is that on him there are teams from all the top leagues . The Coronavirus has affected the market and it will be necessary to understand how much it will also affect the next one. What is certain, I repeat, is that the time for the next step has come for him. For now, however, it is fair to clarify that his focus is entirely on AZ."
On the most suitable league for Koopmeiners:
“It's difficult to answer this question, because in my opinion someone like him can play in all leagues. First of all we are talking about a playmaker, in the true sense of the word, and a playmaker serves every team . His skills in setting up the game are crazy and those can be useful to everyone, regardless of the type of football and league."
On whether Serie A is a welcome destination for Koopmeiners:
“Absolutely yes, he likes Italy very much , both from the point of view of the league and the country. He loves Italian cuisine and has often spent holidays there. He was by the sea, but he also visited Rome, Florence and Venice. He even knows a few words in Italian.”
On Italian clubs' interest on Koopmeiners:
“They have never pushed themselves to take concrete steps, at least until now. Yes, there have been expressions of interest, but never anything more so far . In any case, he is a player who can cover practically all positions in the midfield regardless of what the game system is, moreover he is a true leader, one of those that every team needs. So it doesn't surprise me that the most important ones are looking for him, I mean, I don't find it hard to imagine why..."
On the most interested clubs:
“The clubs further ahead with their respective interests are the Italian and the English ones. There is also some [interest] in Germany, but in Italy and England the interest is more concrete. Then in the end it's always up to the clubs..."
On Champions League football:
“Anyone wants to play in the Champions League, it's the ambition of every player, but for us it is not the most important thing, we are also interested in other evaluations. So playing the Champions League or not as early as next year will not be the main discrimination.“
On Koopmeiners' market value, if he can cost around 30 millions:
“But not with Covid. In the last market in January, we saw the impact the pandemic had. What is certain is that Covid or not Covid the good players are not sold at discount prices."
Between 20 and 30?
"Yes, more or less the horizon should be that, but then AZ [will] decide [according] to the boy's ambitions."