Liverpool youngster signs new contract before replacing Jordan Henderson in Ajax loan move

According to The Athletic, McConnell has put pen to paper on a new five-year contract with Liverpool and will soon head out to the Netherlands where he will spend the 2025-26 season on loan with Ajax. The 20-year-old made his Champions League debut in January earlier this year and will link up with former Reds coach John Heitinga in Amsterdam.

Heitinga's presence as Ajax head coach is thought to be a large factor in the decision to sign McConnell on loan. The Dutch giants have been on the lookout for a new holding midfielder and the hope is McConnell will prove to be an effective replacement for Anfield great Henderson, who left the club earlier in the summer and later completed a return to the Premier League with Brentford.

It will be the first loan move of McConnell's fledgling career so far, having been on the fringes of the first-team squad since making his club debut in a Europa League victory over Toulouse in October 2023. Ajax have endured a few tough seasons, having not won the Eredivisie since 2021-22, and they somehow threw the league title away last term to finish second behind PSV Eindhoven.

Liverpool will be watching with a keen eye to see how McConnell's game develops at Ajax. He will join the likes of Henderson, Luis Suarez, Ryan Gravenberch and Ryan Babel to have played for both the Reds and De Godenzonen.