Fabrizio Romano has named Ajax as a surprise suitor in the race for the transfer of Al Ettifaq midfielder Jordan Henderson this January.
The England international left Liverpool for a move to Saudi Arabia in the summer, but it may be that he’s already set for a speedy move back to Europe after a bit of a disappointing spell in the Gulf state.
Henderson has been linked with Newcastle United in the post on X below from Luke Edwards of the Telegraph, and a return to a top Premier League side who can pay big wages would’ve made a lot of sense for the former Reds captain…
Jordan Henderson returning with his tail between his legs but his name has discussed at #nufc. Why Everton are still vulnerable to player departures and ?@KaeKurd? in a dressing gown. https://t.co/d03GKoMNMN
— Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) January 9, 2024
However, Romano has now reported that Ajax are one of the names in the frame for Henderson this winter, in what feels like one of the most un-Ajax deals one could imagine.
See below for details from Romano as he says there’s a lot of interest in Henderson, though several other clubs also seem to be options for the 33-year-old…
???????? EXCL: Ajax are showing concrete interest in signing Jordan Henderson in case he’ll get green light to leave Al Ettifaq in January transfer window.
There are several clubs keen, waiting for Saudi club decision — but Henderson is looking for options and Ajax are there. pic.twitter.com/WWkvbO6RnV
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 9, 2024
Ajax are a big name in European football, but they’ve almost always been well known for selling big names, rather than signing them, with a big emphasis on promoting youth from their academy instead of high-profile purchases of an ageing player like this.
It will be interesting to see if this does end up going through, with Romano noting that it still requires the green light from Al Ettifaq.