The planned transfer of Romanian defender Cristian Chivu from Ajax Amsterdam to AS Roma has collapsed after the Italian side failed to secure a bank guarantee, the Dutch club said on Monday.
" Ajax is bringing Cristian Chivu back to Amsterdam," Ajax said in a statement. " The Italians did not manage to fulfil their contractual obligation to gain a bank guarantee for the transfer sum."
Chivu was now expected to report for training at Ajax this week, Ajax added.
Ajax agreed to sell Chivu to the Serie A side on July 8 for 18 million euros ( $19.68 million) and the 22-year-old had signed a five-year deal with the club from the Italian capital.
But two days later Roma, who have financial problems, were banned from international transfer deals by world soccer´s governing body FIFA because of an unpaid debt to a Peruvian club.
Ajax said last month that it would turn to FIFA to try to force AS Roma to come up with a bank guarantee for the transfer and would not release Chivu until the guarantee arrived.
Chivu, one of the best young defenders in the European game, had also been linked with Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
=>Pitié 18M€...Il est trop fort Chivu !