TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
FC Cincinnati have acquired Dutch midfielder Siem de Jong on a free transfer from Ajax, the club announced Thursday. FCC will decide whether de Jong will be signed as a Designated Player or if his contract will be bought down using Allocation Money ahead of the 2020 MLS Roster Compliance date on Feb. 28, 2020.
De Jong, 31, made four Eredivisie and four Champions League appearances with Ajax this season. He spent last season on loan in Australia with Sydney FC, with four goals and three assists in 15 league appearances.
“We believe Siem will play an important role in adding to the final third and efficiency of our attack,” Cincy GM Gerard Nijkamp said in a statement. “Not only does he have an impressive intelligence and skillset, he has also played in some of the most prestigious competitions and has been a leader on and off the pitch throughout his career. We feel he will be a great addition to our club.”
The attacking midfielder made his debut at Ajax in 2007, starring at the club until joining Newcastle in 2014. He had two more stints at Ajax before Cincinnati, making 277 appearances for the storied club, adding 88 goals and 52 assists. He has also featured for PSV.
He has six caps with the Dutch national team.
“For me, when FC Cincinnati presented their plan of how the club is growing and how they want to build the team here in the upcoming years, I felt this would be a good experience for me,” De Jong said. “Hopefully, I can help the club and the players to build something special here.”
De Jong would be the club's third DP signed this winter, following forwards Jurgen Locadia and Yuya Kubo. The club's dramatic roster transformation includes additions of Haris Medunjanin, Tom Pettersson and Brandon Vazquez, among others, this offseason.
Former head coach Ron Jans resigned amid an investigation following a complaint over the use of inappropriate language earlier this week and the club installed Yoann Damet as interim boss.
