Former Liverpool midfielder, Jordan Henderson terminates his contract at Saudi club Al-Ettifaq after receiving backlash for moving to Saudi Arabia

Former Liverpool midfielder, Jordan Henderson has terminated his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq after receiving heavy backlash for moving to Saudi Arabia. 

The England footballer has now flown back to England to complete negotiations over a shock move to Ajax. 

According to Mail Sport, a termination agreement was made with Al-Ettifaq on Tuesday, with the England midfield player due in Amsterdam for a medical this weekend.

Henderson is set to join Ajax on a free transfer, but the move will cost him millions in tax after he chose to walk away from a three-year contract with Al-Ettifaq after just six months. 

The Saudi club are understood to have reluctantly agreed to let Henderson leave during negotiations at the club’s winter training camp in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, with the 33-year-old securing the crucial concession that they would not demand a fee.

Henderson is said to have represented himself during the negotiations and is expected to conclude a deal with Ajax in the next few days. 

The former Liverpool captain failed to settle at a club due to family reasons as well as discomfort with the climate, while was also concerned about losing his place in the England squad for this summer’s European Championship.

The move to Ajax will involve a substantial cut in Henderson’s £350,000-a-week wages and also cost him millions in bills, as he will now be obliged to pay back tax on the first six months of his contract with Al-Ettifaq.