Ajax are in advanced talks to sign Jordan Henderson after the midfielder reached an agreement to leave Al Ettifaq, a source has told ESPN.
The 33-year-old wants to leave Saudi Arabia after less than six months and has been in talks to terminate his lucrative contract early.
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The source confirmed that Henderson has now agreed to the dismissal, but the exact terms are unclear. Henderson will take a huge pay cut from his Saudi salary – believed 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 scheduled in Amsterdam later this week while final contract negotiations continue.
Dutch sources suggest Henderson could sign an 18-month contract with the option of a further year.
Henderson's brief stint in Saudi Arabia has been a personal disaster as he faced an initial backlash to the move due to the country's poor human rights record, including laws making homosexuality illegal and punishable by death.
The former Liverpool midfielder had been an outspoken supporter of the LGBTQ+ community before the transfer and struggled to justify his decision in a September interview with The Athletic in which he insisted he was not motivated solely by money and was relishing the opportunity to reach 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 series of poor results.
