Van der Sar: Ajax won't be completely broken up

The Dutch legend takes pride in the team the Eredivisie outfit has assembled, and he insists part of that team will stay together

Edwin van der Sar says that it is inevitable that Ajax will sell several stars this summer, but the club's general director insists that the exodus will not be as bad as many think.

Ajax are set to take on Spurs in the Champions League semi-finals, having already knocked out Real Madrid and Juventus on their way to the competition's penultimate round.

Midfielder Frenkie de Jong is set to join Barcelona this summer, having already finalised a move to Camp Nou, while Matthijs de Ligt is widely expected to follow him out the door with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus all linked.

Players like David Neres, Donny van de Beek, Hakim Ziyech and Andre Onana have also been linked with moves, but Van der Saar insists the club won't be completely robbed of talent this summer.

"We know that's a fact. That's the history of Ajax all along. It has been in the 70s, 80s and 90s, so we know that," the former Manchester United goalkeeper told BT Sport when asked about the possibility of player departures.

"That also gives space for the younger players, guys who are 19 or 20. In two years time, they will be playing at this kind of level.

"We're not going to sell seven players. We need to make sure we can stay competitive. We like this stage of the competition and we like the recongition, so we're not going to break up the complete team. "

He added: "Of course that's Ajax development, giving young players a chance. It doesn't happen every year.

"Once every couple of years, you have a crop of talent coming through combined with experience with players like [Dusan] Tadic and [Daley] Blind and players who have stayed like Neres. It has made a fantastic team to watch."