Alvarez, a Mexico international, has been a top performer for his club and country over the past few seasons.

He was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea over the summer as the Blues made a late move for the defensive midfielder.

The Blues made an offer of €50 million (£43.2m) in the last week of the transfer window, but Ajax did not allow the deal to come through.

He remains a target for Graham Potter’s side and could move to west London at a later date

However, Dutch legend Sneijder blasted his former club for not selling when they had the chance.

“Edson Alvarez plays every ball backwards or sideways, he’s of no use,” the former attacking midfielder told Voetbal International.

“They [Ajax] should have taken him to London quickly. You could have signed two good players for that [amount of money Chelsea offered in the summer].”