Ajax in talks to sign wantaway Henderson from Saudi – sources

Ajax are in advanced talks to sign Jordan Henderson after the midfielder agreed a deal to leave Al Ettifaq, a source has told ESPN.

The 33-year-old wants to leave Saudi Arabia after less than six months and is in talks to end his lucrative contract prematurely.

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The source confirmed that Henderson has now agreed to a redundancy, but the exact terms are unclear. Henderson will take a huge cut in his Saudi salary – estimated to be at least £350,000 a week ($443,000) – if he joins Ajax.

The Eredivisie club have reached an agreement in principle with Henderson and a medical is planned in Amsterdam later this week as final contract negotiations continue.

Sources in the Netherlands suggest Henderson could sign an 18-month contract with an option for a further year.

Henderson's brief stint in Saudi Arabia was a personal disaster given that he faced an initial backlash to the country's poor human rights record, including laws that declared homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death.

The former Liverpool midfielder had been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community before the transfer and struggled to justify his decision in a September interview with The Athletic in which he insisted he did not was not just motivated by money and that he relished the opportunity to join the Saudi league. “one of the best in the world”.

Al Ettifaq are eighth in the Saudi Pro League with manager Steven Gerrard under pressure after a run of poor results.