Ajax close to signing England midfielder Jordan Henderson from Saudi club Al-Ettifaq

England Midfielder Jordan Henderson ‘is close to joining Dutch side Ajax’ less than six months after signing for Al-Ettifaq. The former Liverpool captain, 33, signed a controversial three-year contract with the Saudi club in the summer of 2022, bringing to an end a 12-year stay at Anfield. Henderson was a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Liverpool FC.

After he was booed off the pitch at Wembley during a friendly against Australia in October, Henderson subsequently apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal. Dutch media reports Henderson is set to head to Amsterdam to finalise a move to Ajax, having reached an agreement to terminate his contract with the Saudi club

Henderson is expected to sign an 18-month deal with the Dutch giants. Ajax are fifth in the Eredivisie table, having recovered from a poor start to the new domestic campaign, which saw head coach Maurice Steijn depart after just 11 games in charge. Jordan Henderson signed a three-year contract worth a reported £700,000 a week with Al-Ettifaq when he left Liverpool in a £12m deal in July.