Jordan Henderson flies out for Ajax medical after agreeing Al-Ettifaq exit

Jordan Henderson is travelling to the Netherlands on Thursday to sign for Ajax after calling time on his unhappy and damaging spell in Saudi Arabia.

The former Liverpool captain is due to head from England to Amsterdam by private jet ahead of completing a medical and signing a deal with Ajax that is expected to run until 2026.

Henderson agreed to terminate the three-year contract he signed at Saudi club Al-Ettifaq in the summer after just six months, and reports overnight suggest the 33-year-old may not earn a single penny from his reputation-hitting stay in the Middle East.

Henderson has reportedly deferred payments of his reported £350,000-a-week salary in part to avoid UK tax and sources close to the player are understood to believe that he may now never be paid for his time at the club.

Henderson, who is targeting a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad for next summer's European Championship, was understood to be unsettled by life in Saudi, where he was playing under his former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard.

Al-Ettifaq are eighth in the 18-team Saudi Pro League, despite being one of four clubs backed by the country's Public Investment Fund to spend lavishly last summer, and have won only one of their past nine matches.

The league stopped on December 28 for a break and does not return until the middle of next month.

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In Ajax, Henderson will join a club steeped in history but at one of their lowest ebbs of the modern era.

Club legend John van't Schip, their fourth coach of the season already, took over when the 36-time champions were bottom of the table but he has led them back up to fifth, albeit 23 points behind runaway leaders PSV Eindhoven and 11 behind Feyenoord, who occupy the other Champions League place.

Henderson is not expected to be eligible for Ajax's home game against RKC Waalwijk on Sunday while the club waits for a work permit for him to play in Europe.