10 months ago
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Jordan Henderson reportedly offered himself to Barcelona as he attempted to escape his Saudi Pro League hell.
Just six months after leaving Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq, Henderson is returning to Europe to join Ajax.
The 33-year-old has agreed to terminate his £692,000-a-week contract with the Saudi side and is close to finalising terms with the Dutch giants.
Reports emerged a few weeks ago that the midfielder and his family were unsettled in Saudi Arabia, and he was desperate to come back to the Premier League or somewhere else in Europe.
To that end, Spanish publication Sport report that around the same time, Henderson and his agents contacted Barcelona over the possibility of signing for them in January.
This would have been an incredibly outlandish move but there was a feeling from Henderson’s camp that the La Liga giants might be interested given that they are looking to sign a midfielder this transfer window.
Xavi’s side are in need of some reinforcements in the middle of the pitch after Gavi tore his ACL last November and is now set to miss the rest of the season as well as Euro 2024.
Though it was acknowledged that Henderson would provide good experience, the England International did not fit with the profile of player Barcelona are looking for, and as such they did not pursue a move for him.
A transfer to the Camp Nou would not have suited the player either however, as they would have looked to sign him on a six-month loan, while Henderson wants a permanent move on a long-term contract.
He’ll get that at Ajax with his move to Amsterdam set to be completed by the end of the week.
He could well make his debut for his new club on Sunday when they host RKC Waalwijk.
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