England midfielder Jordan Henderson is expected in Amsterdam on Thursday to finalise his move from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq to Ajax, according to reports.
Former Liverpool captain Henderson, 33, signed for Al-Ettifaq in a lucrative but controversial move last summer as he was a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield.
He subsequently apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal but was booed off the pitch at Wembley during a friendly against Australia in October.
Having reportedly reached an agreement with Al-Ettifaq to terminate his contract, Dutch media say Henderson is expected to sign a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Dutch giants.
Henderson is expected to have a medical and formalise the terms of his deal when he arrives in the Netherlands on Thursday, but looks set to take a substantial wage cut from his reported £350,000-a-week package in Saudi Arabia.
However, he is unlikely to be able to feature against RKC Waalwijk on Sunday as reports suggest, as a non-EU national, Henderson’s work permit is likely to take up to two weeks to be granted.
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.
While Henderson is leaving Saudi Arabia, his former Liverpool team-mate and Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard is set to extend his stay.
The former Reds captain appeared to be under pressure with the side eighth and without a win in eight games but he has reportedly agreed a two-year contract extension which could keep him at the club until 2027.
