Jordan Henderson transfer saga over? Ajax leading race to sign ex-Liverpool midfielder ahead of crunch Al-Ettifaq exit talks with Steven Gerrard

The 33-year-old only moved to the Middle East six months ago, signing from Liverpool for an eye-watering £700,000 ($892,000)-a-week contract. It was a transfer that was largely denigrated for a lack of ambition on Henderson's part, not to mention a slap in the face to the LGBTQ+ community for whom he claimed to be the flag bearer. But after just six torrid months, the midfielder may be on his way out.

According to The Mirror, Ajax are set to sign Henderson after he confirmed his desire to return to Europe in crunch talks with manager Steven Gerrard. The ex-Liverpool star is thought to have an eye on Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2024, despite being continuously picked throughout his Saudi stint. Now, the Dutch giants are set to give him the platform with which to stake his claim to feature at the Germany tournament.

Henderson may be leaving his nightmare in Saudi behind, but he could be walking into a club in disarray. Ajax are fifth in the Eredivisie, 20 points behind leaders PSV, and are plagued with behind-the-scenes issues.

Marc Overmars was sacked as director of football following his sexual harassment scandal, while chief executive and former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is still recovery from a brain haemorrhage. They have gone through five managers since Erik ten Hag's departure in 2022, leading Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp to claim that the "whole philosophy of the club has gone".

A move to Amsterdam awaits. The 36-time Dutch champions look to have fended off late interest from Juventus, who reportedly tried to hijack the deal at the 11th hour. The finer details still need to be finalised, though, before the signing is made official with Henderson set to hold crunch transfer talks with Al-Ettifaq soon.