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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 discussions to end his lucrative contract early.
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The source confirmed Henderson has now agreed a termination but the exact terms are unclear. Henderson will take a huge pay cut from his Saudi salary — thought to be at least £350,000-a-week ($443,000) — should he join Ajax.
The Eredivisie club have secured 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 the option of a further year.
Henderson’s brief spell in Saudi Arabia has been a personal disaster given he faced an initial backlash to the move given the country’s poor human rights record including laws which state homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death.
The former Liverpool midfielder had been an outspoken advocate of the LGBTQ+ community prior to the transfer and struggled to justify his decision in a September interview with The Athletic in which he insisted he was not solely motivated by money and relished the opportunity to make 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 string of poor results.