Ajax forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar claims that Holland coach Marco van Basten has asked him to stay in Amsterdam next season and reject the lure of a move to Real Madrid.

Huntelaar's name has cropped up regularly in transfer speculation in recent seasons without the 24-year-old making a move away from the Amsterdam Arena.

However, after scoring 34 league goals with Ajax last season, the time seems ripe for the Holland international to leave his home country, with the player revealing earlier this week that the Bernabeu is a favoured destination.

Huntelaar is currently at Euro 2008 with Holland and coach Van Basten, who will take over at Ajax next season.

And the forward, who is yet to feature for his country at the tournament, says his national coach has spoken to him about his future and asked him to stay at the Eredivisie club.

"He (Van Basten) has told me that he wants me to stay," Huntelaar told Spanish newspaper AS.

"He said that he wants to build a competitive team that can win important trophies in Europe and for that he needs people like me to stay on."

When asked what he thought about not playing for Holland at Euro 2008 so far under Van Basten he said: "Well, I thought 'And this guy wants me to stay at Ajax?'

"Of course that's a joke. But we'll see what happens.

"I've got a contract with Ajax. I still have a lot of options and I want to wait until after the European Championship to make a decision."

However, van Basten is not the only person in the Holland camp trying to turn the young forward's head.

Huntelaar admits the Oranje's Real Madrid contingent of Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Ruud van Nistelrooy have been trying to tempt him into a move to the Bernabeu.

"They've spoken to me about a lot of things about that club (Madrid), but nothing specific," he revealed.

"They've told me how good life is there, about the beautiful football the club play. That kind of thing."

He added: "Real Madrid are a club I like, it'd be stupid to say they weren't. Real Madrid is always a good destination.

"They're a team I've always liked. They're building a team with a chance of winning the Champions League and that is very important for me."