Ajax's stadium in Amsterdam could be renamed in honour of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 68.

Cruyff, who came through Ajax's youth system, died with his family by his side in Barcelona after losing a battle against cancer.

Deputy mayor of the Dutch capital, Eric van den Burg, has claimed that the Amsterdam ArenA could be renamed Johan Cruyff ArenA in tribute to the footballer, who earned 48 caps for the Netherlands.

"I have discussed this with mayor Eberhard van der Laan and we came to the conclusion that it is something we should try to make happen," Van den Burg told RTL.

"I think we have the support of 837,000 people from Amsterdam. We have some great arguments to convince the other shareholders."

Cruyff spent five years playing for Barcelona and went on to coach the Catalan giants, winning the La Liga title four times as manager.

The Dutchman also coached Ajax over a three-year spell and guided the team to KNVB Cup glory twice and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1987.