Ajax captain Steven Bergwijn has been sold to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad for €21 million in the largest transfer of a relatively quiet summer.

The sale represents a loss on a player who arrived from Tottenham Hotspur two years ago for €30 million, having failed to establish himself as a first-team player in London.

Bergwijn, who scored 29 goals in 80 matches for Ajax and has 35 international caps, said he was in no hurry to leave the club, but new coach Francesco Farioli made clear he was not guaranteed a place in the starting line-up.

The Telegraaf reported the 26-year-old would earn an annual salary of €9 million during his three years in Saudi Arabia.

“I’m glad to have put it behind me,” he told ESPN. “I didn’t have to leave, I was happy at Ajax. But in the end you have to think of yourself.”

Technical director Alex Kroes had planned to sell several players during the summer period to raise money for new recruits, but the sale of Bergwijn on transfer deadline day was the club’s only major piece of business.

“Steven and Ajax have made no secret of the fact that, if a good offer came from abroad, he would make the move,” Kroes said on the club’s official website.

Ajax are hoping to unveil Kamaldeen Sulemana as Bergwijn’s replacement later on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Ghanaian international, who is currently at Southampton, agreed a season-long loan deal before the transfer deadline on Monday, but the paperwork still has to be approved by the KNVB.

A last-minute bid to sign Belgian midfielder Mike Trésor from Burnley reportedly fell through when the English club’s loan terms were deemed too costly, while Kroes turned down a chance to buy Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi from Olympique Marseille.

There was deadline day disappointment for Feyenoord, who had been hoping to sign Spanish winger Assane Diao from Real Betis, but the deal fell through at the last minute because of “problems on the player’s side”.