Marc Overmars would reportedly prefer to move to Arsenal over Newcastle but he’d prefer Barcelona over them both.

Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars

With Newcastle United’s takeover now complete and things at St James’s starting to change, Marc Overmars has been linked with becoming their new Sports Director.

Overmars, who has been at Ajax for 12 years, was recently asked about his preference when Arsenal were without a single point in the league and Barcelona were also rumoured to be considering a change.

“At a certain point the thing is simple: either I continue and I stay here in Ajax or we go abroad again as a family,” Overmars told Mundo Deportivo in September.

“I have let that train pass six times.

“They are both interesting. I think my family would choose Spain.

“We lived there very comfortably. And I think they would also choose Barcelona.”

Of course, none of this factored in Newcastle becoming the richest club in the world, which is a train that can be hard to resist.

Not so for Overmars, according to Raphael van der Vaart, the former Dutch international and Spurs man who lists among his career highlights ‘scoring against Arsenal’.

“He’s doing so well that everyone wants him,” Van der Vaart told Ziggo Sport, via Voetbal Zone.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 26: Alex Song of Arsenal tackles Rafael van der Vaart of Tottenham Hotspur during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on February 26, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 26: Alex Song of Arsenal tackles Rafael van der Vaart of Tottenham Hotspur during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on February 26, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

“What they have been doing for years, together with Edwin van der Sar, I think is great. It doesn’t surprise me.

“Maybe it is a nice challenge at Newcastle United, but I think he would much rather go to Arsenal. He has more of a connection with that, but I don’t think he’s going to do this.”

Van der Vaart, now retired from playing, is assistant manager at Esberg fB who play in Denmark’s second tier.

Overmars is tied to Ajax until 2024 and on a salary just shy of €1m-a-year, a trifling sum for all three clubs linked, especially the richest club of all.

He would be required to work three months notice, should he decide to move to a new job.