Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars has insisted that midfielder Marco van Ginkel would play more games if he joined the Dutch club.
Van Ginkel is on the verge of sealing a move from Vitesse to Chelsea, but Overmars believes that the Netherlands Under-21 player would have improved more at Ajax than at Stamford Bridge.
The former Arsenal winger told BBC Sport: "Van Ginkel is a great young talent and we would have liked him to come to Ajax. Whether it is too early for him to go to Chelsea or not, I don't know.
"With us, he would have played a lot of games and played in the Champions League. We couldn't have a discussion with the player as Chelsea have a co-operation agreement with Vitesse and they were first choice.
"The important thing for the player is that he gets minutes in the first team. Hopefully the deal goes well and he will get into the team."
The 20-year-old is expected to cost Chelsea in the region of £8m.